UK house prices: Country property prices are much higher than those in the city September 30, 2017 Rural house prices are a fifth more expensive those in cities outside London, according to the Halifax. The average country house price is £263,050, compared with the average urban price of £218,596. The biggest difference is in the West Midlands, where prices are almost 50 per cent more. “Homeowners looking to escape to the country [...]
UK mortgage lending is (almost) at its highest level since April 2008 September 26, 2017 Mortgage lending rose to its second highest level since April 2008 in August, new figures have shown. The figures, by UK Finance, showed total gross lending rose to £24.2bn in August, up 6.4 per cent from last month. The figure is the highest since March 2016, when an impending hike to stamp duty on buy [...]
A life off-grid with no energy bills is closer than you think. Here’s what the future has in store for sustainable homes September 26, 2017 "Right," says eco-developer Sam Budhdeo, rubbing his hands together. “We think we have the solution to climate change.” As openers go, it’s a bold one, but not quite as outlandish as it sounds. The housebuilder who successfully cracks the code to building sustainably – and affordably – would be solving a large part of the [...]
Personality clashes and the poisoned client: The inside story of Bell Pottinger’s collapse September 25, 2017 From the outside, the demise of iconic public relations firm Bell Pottinger appeared to unfold at a dramatic and surprising pace. On Monday 4 September, the company published the findings of a report by lawyers Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) concluding that the firm’s campaign for the Gupta family’s Oakbay Capital in South Africa “was potentially [...]
Fifth consecutive monthly house price fall in August as more signs emerge of London market dragging September 20, 2017 London house prices recorded the biggest average fall of any region in England and Wales in August, according to new data, as the squeeze at the top end of the British property market continues. Prices in the capital grew by only 0.7 per cent in the year to August, as the average price dropped by [...]
What needs to change about housing policy by UK property professionals ahead of party conference season September 15, 2017 Katherine McCullough, development director at Merchant Land “During the political party season, I would like to see some attention given to reviewing what Osborne’s stamp duty reforms have achieved and ideally, to have them reversed in order to help stimulate the housing market at the top end. It would also be encouraging to hear discussion [...]
London house prices: Here’s how far London house prices have fallen due to stamp duty September 7, 2017 Stamp duty has stagnated London’s housing market and pushed down prices, according to research released today. London sales volumes have fallen by seven per cent, and prices in some parts of the capital have fallen by as much as seven per cent, a report by estate agent Aston Chase has found. Read more: Jacob Rees-Mogg [...]
Focus On Streatham: Where house price growth is nearly 9 per cent year-on-year, twice the London average September 4, 2017 If you have an SW postcode, think of yourself as one of the lucky ones. The average home in south west London now costs over £1m and it’s long been home to some of the most expensive streets in the country. But there is a way to live in an SW postcode without being a [...]
Quarto turns the page as talks with mystery buyer end August 16, 2017 Shares in book publisher Quarto closed down 18 per cent today, after a brief flirtation with a mystery potential buyer came to an abrupt end. Just last week, the London-listed company announced that it was in talks with an unnamed potential bidder following an unsolicited approach. But this morning it said that discussions had been [...]
London house prices: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan invests £25m in Pocket Living to build homes for first-time buyers August 15, 2017 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is investing £25m into Pocket Living, a developer which uses modular construction to build affordable homes. The investment will help Pocket create 1,059 new one- and two-bed flats for first-time buyers. It sells its homes at 20 per cent below the market rate to first-time buyers living in the borough. [...]