London’s poshest properties may be past their peak due to UK’s referendum vote July 1, 2016 Prime property in London has been losing some of its shine this year. The political and economic uncertainty in the UK has been weighing on London's high-end homes, as research shows prices fell in the second quarter of 2016. The average value of a prime property in central London fell 1.4 per cent in the quarter, [...]
Opinion: A real estate legal specialist explains why using Brexit to get out of a property deal is a very bad idea June 30, 2016 Several days on from the result of the EU Referendum and, inevitably, many are wondering how leaving the EU will affect the London residential property market. First, it’s important to take a step back and look at what was happening before the referendum. The 15 per cent stamp duty and annual taxes for properties worth [...]
Interiors: How to tastefully use the floral trend in your home by creating a botanical wall June 30, 2016 Who remembers when House of Hackney arrived on Shoreditch High Street three years ago? The first standalone shop for the brand, it’s been a huge hit, bursting with imaginative prints. At the time its signature design was Palmeral (“an explosion of palm leaves reminiscent of 1930s Palm Springs”) a print covering everything from lampshades on [...]
Property of the Week: Morpeth Terrace, the historic antiques-stuffed home of a Sotheby’s auction house boss in Victoria June 30, 2016 Price: £1.495m When Heinrich von Spreti, executive board member at Sotheby’s auction house, was looking for somewhere to live in London, he stuck to the old adage “location, location, location.” And, boy, did he find one. His Grade II listed apartment on Morpeth Terrace, a sought-after mansion block, afforded von Spreti an extraordinary morning commute. [...]
New homes on sale in London this weekend: from South Bank Tower to eco “Urban Houses” in Blackheath June 30, 2016 South Bank Tower From £1.8m The remaining 193 studio to four bedroom apartments and penthouses in the 41-storey South Bank Tower – formerly the IPC Media building – are now on sale. Four new show apartment by four interior designers – 1508 London, Goddard Littlefair, Studio Ashby and Rachel Winham – have been drafted in by [...]
More than 2,000 people have already cashed in their Help to Buy Isa just four months after launch – getting a bonus of just £421 June 30, 2016 Perplexing news from the Treasury, which has reported more than 2,000 people have so far cashed in their Help to Buy Isas – meaning they've made an average of just £421. The figures, published this morning, showed 1,490 properties were bought in the four months to the end of March through the scheme, which gives savers a £50 [...]
Singapore bank UOB suspends London property loans following Brexit vote June 30, 2016 Singaporean bank UOB has become the city state's first lender to suspend loans for London properties citing uncertainty caused by the result of last week's EU referendum. "We will temporarily stop receiving foreign property loan applications for London properties," a UOB spokeswoman said in an email. "As the aftermath of the UK referendum is still [...]
Canvas & Stone: We ask five entrepreneurs who inherited country estates how they managed to turn their crumbling piles into profitable businesses June 29, 2016 Inheriting a country estate sounds like one of the most ridiculous privileges that could be bestowed upon a 30-something in modern Britain. In reality, it’s a bit like being told to look after a dying relative in the middle of nowhere who keeps stealing from your wallet when you’re not looking. When five friends suddenly [...]
Why British homeowners still aren’t buying into the idea of the home connected by smart tech June 29, 2016 Take any object in your home and you can guarantee that at some point a Silicon Valley startup has tried to create a web-enabled version of it. The ever expanding “Internet of Things” (IoT), as it’s clunkily termed, now includes almost every household item under the sun. Many are useful, such as thermostats, light bulbs, [...]
The architectural concepts behind 2016’s Serpentine Pavilion and Summer Houses in Hyde Park June 29, 2016 The annual unveiling of the pavilion in front of the Serpentine Gallery has become a prestigious event in the British architectural calendar. It all started in the year 2000, when Zaha Hadid designed a space for a fundraising event in Hyde Park. The result was so popular the gallery has invited an architect to reimagine [...]