How to become George Clooney’s neighbour May 19, 2011 NABBING a sneaky peak of George Clooney sun bathing is surely priceless. And yet after some investigation, it turns out it might not be as expensive as you’d think. For the sum of €850,000 you could actually own the apartment next door to Clooney on Lake Como – an apartment that benefits from views directly [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 8, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES UBS FEARS MISSING AMBITIOUS TARGETS UBS bankers have privately conceded that the Swiss financial services group is unlikely to meet ambitious performance targets as it realigns its business in response to new rules on capital. Oswald Grübel, chief executive, surprised analysts last month by maintaining his medium-term goals of SFr20bn (£14bn) in annual [...]
Going private in the Maldives, at long last March 24, 2011 For years, the Indian Ocean’s most exquisite islands, the Maldives, have been solely the preserve of hotels. Now, they’ve begun to open up to foreign buyers, thanks to new laws introduced by the pro-enterprise President Mohamed Nasheed. Before Nasheed, elected two years ago, leaseholds were too short to attract European buyers – but they have [...]
Intelligent luxury for smart skiers at Les Domaines February 2, 2011 THE new Alpine luxury is understated, contemporary elegance in a traditional-looking wood building, with lots of hand-crafted features and discreet state-of-the-art facilities. It is located in a small and original village – not a purpose-built concrete bunker. These days, intelligent luxury means completely no-hassle holidays – you own your own property, but it is fully [...]
UK has fewer empty homes December 19, 2010 THE number of English homes left standing empty for six months or longer dropped for the first time in three years last year, in a sign that a stagnant housing market and high rental demand is pushing up occupancy levels. The number of long-term empty private houses dropped by more than 20,000, or six per [...]
London apartments with classic stylings December 2, 2010 ANYBODY who wanders through the West End for any amount of time is taken with the stunning architecture, but many don’t get the opportunity to stay in these wonderful buildings. The new generation of serviced apartments, however, offers you the chance. These are proving increasingly popular for those who regularly spend time in London for [...]
Morocco is attracting the luxury investor November 25, 2010 IT’s hot, it’s exotic and beautiful. No wonder Morocco, long on the traveller’s radar, is rapidly becoming the place that the beautiful people are going to buy their second homes. Says Alistair Emery, CEO of developer Ajensa, which is nearing completion of the Baglioni resort near Marrakech: “In the last few years as people have [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 13, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES F&C OPPOSES US POLITICAL DONATIONS BY NEWS CORPORATION F&C, the UK asset manager, will vote against the re-election of News Corp’s audit committee chairman at its upcoming annual meeting on Friday over the media group’s million-dollar political donations to the Republican Governors Association and the US Chamber of Commerce.“We are concerned to see [...]
Knight Frank cautious after bumper year September 26, 2010 ESTATE agent Knight Frank said it expects to suffer after the government’s spending review next month, as the firm announced a 168 per cent rise in profit to £58.4m for last year. The group said yesterday that all of its branches were in profit, with particular strength in the UK and Asia pushing revenue up [...]
It pays to be the canary in the mine August 5, 2010 LONDONERS in search of rental bargains are getting wise to the fact that moving a few miles east into the Docklands gets you more space and higher specs for the same money. Rental prices in the Canary Wharf/Docklands area are on the up, but still offer better value than most other places within a short [...]