“We were the first ever agents to sell a building through Twitter” – Meet the social media moguls dragging commercial property sales into the 21st century April 29, 2016 While residential estate agents have been dragged into the internet age, their commercial counterparts have – mostly – continued to resist such a move. There’s no Rightmove for office blocks, or warehouses. And it was this inherent conservatism that seemed to offer a great opportunity when three young surveyors decided to set up shop in [...]
Property of the Week: The three-bed Chelsea penthouse of the Sex Pistols’ visual designer April 29, 2016 Most property developers start out with a humble investment and move on to create homes that superstars want to live in. But Margaret and Michael Stanford began with icons, largely thanks to their job as visual designers – of album covers, videos and stage sets – for some of Britain’s most revered artists, including Queen, [...]
New Builds: From Notting Hill to Battersea, here are the hottest new developments on the market this week April 29, 2016 Alto, Wembley From £715,000 High rise apartments have gone on sale at Alto, a development by Keystone and Quintain, which is part of the 83-acre regeneration of Wembley Park. The two and three bedroom apartments sit in the Pienna building, the 19-storey ‘crowning glory’ of the scheme designed by Flanagan Lawrence Architects, which worked on [...]
Bank of England: Yes, there was a mortgage stampede in March April 29, 2016 The final – and perhaps most definitive – proof that mortgage lending surged in March has been published by the Bank of England this morning, showing just how much tax changes distorted the property market. After a string of industry reports said that investors and landlords rushed to snap up houses before the three per cent [...]
First-time home buyers come roaring back despite investor surge in March April 29, 2016 The number of first-time buyers soared to its highest level in nearly two years last month, according to Your Move, in a new study which counters claims that a surge in buy to let investors has squeezed out homeowners. Homes bought by newbies rose by 48 per cent between February and March to a total [...]
The number of rental homes in the UK has nosedived – and the situation will only get worse April 28, 2016 An unintended consequence of the chancellor's stamp duty hike or just more nerves about Brexit? Either way, a report by one of the UK's largest landlords' associations has warned the number of rental properties in the UK is dangerously now. The report, by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla), found the supply of rental [...]
Housebuilding in London has plummeted in the run-up to the mayoral election: Here’s which boroughs are approving the fewest new homes April 28, 2016 It seems the capital's local authorities have got a case of the heebie-jeebies in the run-up to the mayoral election – after a new report showed approvals for new homes have plummeted. The report, by estate agent Stirling Ackroyd, found London boroughs gave the thumbs-up to a mere 4,320 homes in the first quarter of the [...]
Two gifs from this architecture exhibition show how the City’s skyline will be transformed by skyscrapers in 2030 April 27, 2016 An exhibition taking place next month reveals just how much the City's skyline is set to change over the next few years. The Evolving London Skyline exhibition, which runs at New London Architecture (NLA) in May, shows how the Square Mile will look in 2030 if all the skyscrapers currently given planning permission are built. The images, [...]
Foxtons reaps the rewards as house buyers scramble to complete ahead of stamp duty deadline – but how long will the party last? April 27, 2016 Foxton's has posted impressive-looking results for the quarter to the end of March. But shares slid as investors showed their nerves over new buy to let rules. The figures Total group revenues rose to £38.4m during the period, up 16.2 per cent from the same quarter last year. That was pushed up by a 28.5 per cent increase in property [...]
Why Brexit could spell trouble for Berkeley Group if foreign investors abandon London April 27, 2016 Berkeley Homes produces some of the most desirable goods in the UK. Building high-end houses and apartments chiefly in London, this well-managed company has delivered impressive profit margins and sustained growth. To explain this success, many would point to London’s chronic housing shortage. Annual demand is typically estimated at 50,000 homes by industry commentators. In [...]