A Brexit-induced price drop won’t fix the housing crisis February 21, 2019 The last 30 years have seen house prices in London soar to dizzying heights. The average home has leapt from £81,536 in 1988 to £473,882 in 2018 – that’s a 481 per cent increase. If the cost of a pint of milk (26p in 1988) had jumped up at the same pace, it would now [...]
Number of first-time buyers soars to 12-year high February 19, 2019 The number of first-time buyers in Britain reached a 12-year high in 2018, with more competitive asking prices and government schemes such as Help to Buy providing a much-needed boon for hopeful homeowners. According to data released by UK Finance this morning, there were 370,000 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in 2018, marking the highest number [...]
Opinion: Lloyd’s Lend a Hand mortgage is a great deal for the bank, but is it any good for borrowers? February 15, 2019 A “new” mortgage called ‘Lend a Hand’ from Lloyds made the headlines last week – well, the real headline was the 100 per cent Loan-to-Value, which brought back memories of the financial crisis. Digging deeper into the mortgage itself, this product may well help first-time buyers, provided they are very careful, but, really, it is [...]
Focus On Wanstead: Families flock to ‘the Twickenham of East London’, where houses near green spaces have sold for seven digits February 15, 2019 There was a time when Wanstead, an unusually leafy spot of east London, was most famous for its Member of Parliament. They don’t come much more recognisable than Sir Winston Churchill, who served Wanstead from 1924 up to 1964 with a patch of absence in the middle for his Wilderness Years. But there’s one other [...]
How to choose a provider for your Stocks and Shares Isa February 14, 2019 Isas are a popular way for savers to squirrel away money. And given that these savings accounts are free from both capital gains and dividend tax, the Stocks and Shares Isa is particularly appealing to investors. With all that said, not all Isas are created equal, and charges can vary wildly across providers. Platforms can usually be divided into those [...]
London’s iconic department store Liberty ‘seeks £300m sale’ February 12, 2019 London retail landmark Liberty department store could be set for new ownership for the first time in nearly 10 years. Its largest shareholder, private equity firm Bluegem Capital Partners, has reportedly hired UBS to look into potential buyers for the business. Read more: West End property giant Shaftesbury posts 'resilient' retail demand The company, which [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend February 8, 2019 New developments on the market this week Kidbrooke Village, Greenwich From £567,500 for a two bed with two bathrooms First time buyers can get on the ladder – and be part of a £1bn regeneration project – on the outskirts of Blackheath with the launch of these new Help to Buy homes. The interior design [...]
Nationwide profits fall as it warns IT investment will continue to weigh down earnings February 8, 2019 Profits fell in Nationwide’s third quarter as the building society was hit by a £167m write-off charge as well as an ongoing technology investment, it revealed today, warning profit pressure will remain in the fourth quarter. The figures Pre-tax profits dropped a staggering 20 per cent year on year to £703m for the last three [...]
Bellway set for revenue bump despite Brexit jitters February 7, 2019 Bellway said this morning that it was expecting a rise is sales over the year ahead, despite echoing the cautious sentiment over Brexit from many of its peers within the property industry. Buoyed by demand for affordable homes and government schemes such as Help-to-Buy, Bellway said in a trading update this morning that it expected total [...]
Government faces test as Chinese buyers line up for major UK energy grid February 3, 2019 The government's approach to foreign investment could be tested this month as Chinese buyers line up for a major UK energy network. State-owned operators State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid are looking at Electricity North West, which is expected to fetch £2bn at auction, the Sunday Times reported. It has also [...]