Car review: Don’t judge the Audi RS3 Sportback by its flashy logo June 29, 2015 Do you chuckle when you press your car’s accelerator to the floor? Do you have an exhaust that barks so loudly it startles passersby? Does your car cover ground so quickly that it’s just a blur to pedestrians? If you wish you could answer yes to these questions, then Audi’s new £40,000 RS3 could [...]
First-time buyers suffer from cuts to higher loan-to-value lending June 28, 2015 THE HIGH loan-to-value (LTV) end of the mortgage market is in decline, according to figures published today by insurance firm Genworth and comparison site Moneyfacts.co.uk. The value of loans with a 95 per cent LTV ratio, where 95 per cent of the value of a property is borrowed, dropped by £147m year-on-year during the first [...]
Post-recession peak for home buyer deposits June 25, 2015 PROSPECTIVE homebuyers face having to pay the highest level of deposit since 2009. The average deposit reached £72,302 last month, according to figures released today by the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB). It marks the highest deposit since the MAB first started publishing the data six years ago. The size of the average loan also ticked [...]
Limassol hopes for yachts of cash with its revamped marina June 25, 2015 Luxury superyachts and Cyprus are not two words you would normally associate with each other in the Mediterranean’s troubled economic climate. And yet there are remarkable signs of returning prosperity to Cyprus, most obviously at Limassol Marina on the south coast of the island, which opened last year. It’s the first superyacht marina in [...]
Focus on Wimbledon property: A game of two halves in SW19 June 25, 2015 The world’s eyes will make their annual pilgrimage to Wimbledon on Monday, where they’ll spend several hours swivelling backwards and forwards watching the greatest tennis tournament on earth. While this leafy corner of south west London is primarily known for racquet sports, the rest of the year it’s one of the fastest-growing local property markets [...]
US and Qatari team gears up for £5bn F1 deal June 23, 2015 FORMULA 1 could make its first breakthrough into the US market if a deal being put together by the owner of American football team the Miami Dolphins and Qatar Sports Investments is successful. RSE Ventures, founded by US real estate and sports tycoon Stephen Ross, is targeting a 35.5 per cent stake, currently owned by [...]
UK property prices: Property sales tick up in May – but the outlook is uncertain June 23, 2015 The number of UK residential properties sold climbed in May, new data show. A total of 98,540 properties changed hands, according to figures released by HMRC yesterday. It marks a rise on April’s 97,610. However the market is slower than it was a year ago when 101,710 properties were sold. The figures translate to a [...]
Car review: BMW’s futuristic new 7 Series lets you talk to your car using hand signals June 22, 2015 From city traders to third-world dictators, the Mercedes S-class has traditionally been the default limo of choice. BMW’s 7 Series won fans among those who prefer to drive than be driven, but it could never match the S-class for all-round appeal. The new 7 Series, though, could take the lustre off Mercedes’ three-pointed star. [...]
Tesco first quarter results and AGM: Three things to expect from Friday’s figures June 21, 2015 Tesco will update the market on its first-quarter figures – the first since reporting its biggest ever loss – while executives will face shareholders at its AGM. Here's what to expect from the supermarket on Friday. 1. The numbers will continue tumbling The supermarket’s first quarter is unlikely to tell a different story from the [...]
London and the south-east see record-breaking spike in rents June 18, 2015 Estate agents are urging housebuilders to look south, as the national average rent reaches its highest point since records began. Rents across the UK are now 4.5 per cent higher than a year ago, with London and the south-east rising faster than anywhere else, according to the latest Your Move and Reeds Rains Buy-to-Let [...]