London house prices: Qataris now own £1bn chunk of Mayfair property – and their favourite addresses are Park Lane, Green Street and Mount Street March 29, 2016 Members of the Qatari royal family, other Qatari nationals and wealth funds now own a £1bn chunk of Mayfair real estate, a new report estimates. Almost a quarter of Mayfair’s 279 acres and over 4,300 residential properties is now dominated by Qataris, prompting estate agent Rokstone to dub the area between Park Lane, Hyde Park and North Row "Qatari [...]
Is this the UK’s most expensive conservatory? Mayfair apartment on sale for £5.6m values garden space at £750,000 March 29, 2016 It might not look like much, but this conservatory and rooftop patio are worth an estimated £750,000 – making it potentially the most expensive garden space in the UK. They are part of a two-bed luxury apartment in Mayfair, which is currently on sale for £5.6m (for a 116-year lease). The 2,212 sq ft south-facing [...]
The Waitrose effect: Living near to the supermarket can double your house price March 21, 2016 We all know that properties near good schools can command higher than average prices – but what about your local supermarket? If you're lucky enough to live within walking distance of a Waitrose, your home is likely to benefit from an uplift to your house price, new research from Emoov claims. It's not clear what [...]
Starwood Hotels & Resorts ventures into Cuba, intending to take over the operations of Hotel Inglaterra, Hotel Quinta Avenida and Hotel Santa Isabel later on this year March 20, 2016 Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced late last night that it was to become the first US-based hospitality company to make its way into Cuba in nearly 60 years, after receiving authorisation from the US Treasury to run three hotels on the islands. The move follows an announcement by President Obama in December 2014 that he [...]
Knight Frank and Markit: London house prices experienced the biggest increase this month March 18, 2016 London house price growth is expected to beat all other regions this month despite a slowdown in the top of the market, new research has shown. Londoners perceived the biggest increase, followed by those in the South East, East of England, Scotland and then the North West. It's slightly surprising given price growth among prime central London properties [...]
Forget Downton Abbey-style estates, swimming pools or chocolate-box cottages, Britain’s dream house is a run-of-the-mill detached property in commuter zone March 18, 2016 Spend your days dreaming of a mansion so big you can avoid the rest of your family? You are, apparently, in the minority. New research suggests that even when money is no object, the nation's ideal home is more modest than you might have thought. Forget Downton Abbey-style estates – our dream home is a south-facing [...]
Tenants are set to feel the heat as rents go up for the first time in 2016 March 18, 2016 Tenants are about to be hit by the first rise in rents since the autumn as new tax policies take their toll on landlords. Average rents rose by 0.1 per cent between January and February this year according to the latest buy to let index from Your Move and Reeds Rains. It’s the first increase [...]
Top tips for choosing the right tenant for your buy-to-let investment March 17, 2016 So you’ve spent months searching for the perfect property investment and transforming it into a modern, comfortable home. Now it’s time to hand over the keys to a perfect stranger and hope they pay up. Or perhaps you’re upsizing and you’re hoping Mr Rando won’t destroy your beloved first home. But how can you be [...]
Will Steinway & Sons’ newest invention, the Spirio, bring the player piano back into homes? March 17, 2016 The digital revolution has upset a lot of industries, but perhaps none more so than the music industry. With file sharing and streaming via subscription services the norm, the sight of vast collections of CDs stacked up around a home entertainment system is already becoming a rarity in living rooms. As a heritage brand with [...]
Focus On Canning Town: For affordability and an easy commute to Canary Wharf, the only way is E16 March 17, 2016 East London’s post-industrial landscape is rapidly disappearing in favour of quirky cultural venues, artfully rustic cafes and glassy residential towers. While the investment potential in Hackney and Tower Hamlets has been well-documented, other locations that are just as accessible have managed to slip under the radar. One of these is Canning Town, a part of [...]