Parents are forking out more to buy homes near top schools September 5, 2016 Parents are increasingly prepared to pay a hefty premium to buy a home within the catchment area of Britain's best state schools. Lloyds Bank research released today showed they are willing to fork out an average of £53,000 more to live in an area close to a top performing state school — an increase of £13,000 (31 per cent) [...]
One in three homeowners disappointed with their progress up the housing ladder September 3, 2016 A third of homeowners are disappointed with their progress up the housing ladder, new research has found. Some 33 per cent expected to have advanced further than they currently have, according to a Lloyds Bank survey of around 1,000 homeowners. The figure increases among first-time buyers, 43 per cent of whom said they are lagging [...]
Berkeley Group has suspended construction on a £20m housing scheme in Barnes September 2, 2016 Berkeley Group may have just dropped out of the FTSE 100, but that's unlikely to have stopped rival developers from keeping a close eye on its activities. Tony Pidgley, the company's founder, famously called the top of the London housing market during the recession. Now he's taken the decision to, er, stop building a small [...]
Something must be done about the surge in short-term lets on Airbnb – or we will be left facing a housing disaster September 2, 2016 Just when it seemed news for renters couldn't get any worse – it has. Figures out today from the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) show that a surge in the numbers of short-term lets on Airbnb could be having dire consequences for renters in London. In the four months from February to June this year London Airbnb [...]
Is Britain a BBQ nation? Laura Ivill thinks so and she’s spent the last few days of summer learning some grill skills September 1, 2016 Brits love to BBQ. I count the quality of the summer by how many BBQs I’ve had. A couple of years ago I had a New Zealand friend staying. So in tune with the BBQ lifestyle are the Kiwis that his family would have a cook-up on Christmas Day. On balmy evenings we would fire [...]
Opinion: Research shows that homebuyers are ready to embrace new technology – but estate agents aren’t keeping up September 1, 2016 Buying or selling a property can be a stressful and daunting process. Choosing the right estate agent, and utilising new digital tools, can make all the difference – not only to the price but also to the overall experience. Dezrez recently conducted research to explore the attitudes, perceptions and expectations that UK home buyers have [...]
New homes on sale in “mini-Manhattan” London City Island, marketed as the capital’s would-be culture hub September 1, 2016 London City Island, Leamouth Peninsula From £365,000 The final and tallest building in the London City Island development will go on sale on Saturday. The marketing suite on the Leamouth Peninsula site will throw a party with ice pops and a juice bar from 10am to 5pm to entice buyers to invest in studio to [...]
These are Britain’s ugliest new buildings September 1, 2016 Ugly new buildings are popping up all the time, but only the biggest crimes in British architecture make it onto the Carbuncle Cup's shortlist. The list, compiled by design experts for architect trade bible Building Design, is a real horror show this year – and London is well represented. The City has, of course, made the shortlist, [...]
Canada Life re-opens its property fund as the commercial property market shows “stabilisation” after the Brexit vote September 1, 2016 Canada Life has re-opened its commercial property funds after investors withdrew cash in the wake of the Brexit vote – but the firm has admitted its property valuations may be inaccurate due to current market conditions. When investors scrambled to take out money from property funds at the end of June, Canada Life and several other firms were [...]
Housebuilder shares climb on positive house price data August 31, 2016 It's been a rough ride for FTSE 100-listed housebuilders since the EU referendum – but today's house price data from Nationwide is helping the builders' share prices climb back to levels seen before the Brexit vote. Nationwide said this morning house prices were up 0.6 per cent month-on-month in August, and 5.6 per cent year-on-year. Berkeley Group was on [...]