From London property prices and London smells to World Gin Day and naked cyclists: Here’s what got us talking this week June 12, 2015 There was (another) election. There was the start of some privatising. And late on Friday there was some biblical weather. Here's what got us talking this week 1. We should be paying for property with Monopoly money We wish it was that easy. This week were learned just how much of a share up [...]
UK house prices: Stamp duty payments have fallen by half since George Osborne introduced reforms, but Londoners are missing out June 12, 2015 The amount property buyers are paying in stamp duty has halved since George Osborne introduced new measures aimed at making homes more affordable in the last Budget – but Londoners are massively missing out on those savings, new research has found. A study by the Post Office and the Centre for Economics and Business Research [...]
EU referendum: CBRE says UK exit of European Union will hurt property sector June 11, 2015 An exit from the European Union could hurt property investment to the UK and damage London’s status as a world financial centre, a survey of investors has warned. More than 60 per cent surveyed by property advisors CBRE said leaving the EU would have a negative impact on the UK’s attractiveness as an investment location, [...]
London house prices: As rents keep rising, here’s how the Monopoly board looks in 2015 June 11, 2015 Click to see table in a new window There has been a shake-up in the London property price hierarchy, and the most profitable places to be a landlord have moved dramatically. That well-established measure of London property values – the humble Monopoly board – has been shaken and stirred by fluctuations in the market, and [...]
Think the UK is expensive? Hong Kong tops global house price rankings – while prices have fallen the most in Ukraine June 11, 2015 If you thought UK house prices were rising at an unmanageable level, spare a thought for the residents of Hong Kong, where prices have jumped 18.7 per cent in the past year, according to Knight Frank's latest global house price index. Turkey is next, with a year-on-year rise of 18.6 per cent, while prices in [...]
UK house price growth expected to surge as post-election supply bounce lacking June 10, 2015 Hopes for a post-election surge in the supply of houses to the market have failed to materialise, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said today. “Tight supply conditions continue to be a key factor underpinning prices, with fresh instructions to sell becoming increasingly sparse while average stocks per surveyor fell to a new record [...]
These are the 20 London streets where estate agents are making the most money June 9, 2015 It turns out London’s streets really are paved with gold – for estate agents, anyway, who have earn £10m in fees for sales in London’s 20 most expensive roads over the past 18 months. According to research from website HouseSimple, 80 properties sold in the top 20 prime locations sold for an average of £5.3m, [...]
UK house prices: Building new properties doesn’t drive down prices, study shows June 7, 2015 Building new properties doesn't drive down house prices, according to a study by the London School of Economics. By looking at the price impacts of a series of Barrat Homes developments in suburbs and villages over the past five years, the researchers found no evidence of a price depreciation. In fact, in some cases [...]
A room with a view? A house in a national park could cost you 93 per cent more than the average June 5, 2015 How much would you pay for a room with a view? House prices in Britain’s national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) are commanding up to 125 per cent more than the average house price in their host counties, according to research from Knight Frank. In 10 of the country’s 13 national parks, [...]
UK house prices: The return of cheap housing finance? Chelsea Building Society unveils the first tracker mortgage to be launched with an interest rate lower than one per cent June 5, 2015 When the sub-prime mortgage bubble burst, everyone blamed cheap borrowing – but that clearly hasn't perturbed the Chelsea Building Society, which today unveiled the first ever tracker mortgage launched with an interest rate below one per cent. To be fair, housebuyers who want to borrow under the scheme need to meet pretty stringent restrictions, including [...]