After the Nvidelity comes the Huangover. Jensen Huang joins long list who confused boardroom and bedroom
McCarthy & Stone’s share price climbs on positive outlook October 11, 2016 Retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone's share price climbed seven per cent in morning trading on the back of a strong trading update. The company suffered following the Brexit vote; sales slowed and cancellation rates on the purchase of its properties increased. This hit McCarthy & Stone's forward sales order book, which dropped to £114m on 2 [...]
Is £2bn enough to fix the housing market? October 11, 2016 Last week the government announced plans for a £2bn accelerated construction fund that will be used to guarantee housing schemes, including deals to purchase homes that do not sell. The guarantee, which will be achieved by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) directly selling any ‘government purchased homes’ on the market, to the private rented [...]
Business rates that hit London need reform October 11, 2016 Business rates are a blunt instrument, one which is set to deliver a heavy blow to London’s retailers, offices and hotels. Rates are due to rise from next April after a revaluation of rateable values for England’s 1.85m commercial properties by the Valuation Office Agency. It is the first such revaluation since 2010. Analysis by [...]
Long Weekend in Wallops Wood Cottages: This baby-friendly cottage retreat is perfect for families October 10, 2016 Hidden off the back roads in the beautiful Meon Valley, Wallops Wood Cottages offer a perfect rural retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Less than a two hour drive from central London these relaxing holiday homes are an ideal destination for families looking for a long weekend or short trip to the [...]
Renting in Havana: How Airbnb started its own Cuban revolution October 10, 2016 On the face of it, Cuba is everything you imagine it to be. Cuba libres drunk on verandas in the tropical heat, Fidel Castro’s tobacco plantations for his Cohiba cigars, taxi-rides in buffed vintage cars, horse rides in the rainforest, palm-fringed beaches and salsa rhythms. But as vibrant and appealing a destination it is, there’s [...]
Help solve the housing crisis by leaving your house to your grandchildren, urges housing minister October 10, 2016 Housing minister Gavin Barwell has said parents should leave their property and money to their grandchildren instead of their children. Speaking at a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference, Barwell said his mother will be leaving her £700,000 Croydon home to her grandchildren rather than him and his brother. Barwell said such generosity from grandparents [...]
Knight Frank’s chairman calls for a reversal of changes to stamp duty tax October 10, 2016 Chairman of the estate agents Knight Frank has called on the UK government to reverse changes to stamp duty taxes. Former Chancellor George Osborne increased the rate of stamp duty of second homes, a change that came into effect at the beginning of April, leading many buy to let landlords to flee the property market. [...]
Knight Frank reports 20 per cent drop in exchanges since the EU referendum October 10, 2016 Estate agent Knight Frank said today it experienced a 20 per cent fall in the number of exchanges on its high-end UK houses since the EU referendum. In its results for the year, Knight Frank reported profit before tax fell by 4.7 per cent, from £160.1m last year to £152.6m this year. Turnover increased four per cent [...]
Focus On Earl’s Court: Around 7,500 new homes and a brand new high street coming to west London by 2033 October 7, 2016 Best known for its (closed) Exhibition Centre, Earl’s Court is not the sort of place you’d expect to attract million-pound investment. But it’s currently undergoing its biggest upheaval in over a century and this west London outpost is set to be a very different place in a couple of decades. The last huge change in [...]
Opinion: the Chancellor’s housing plans need to cater to everyone’s needs, including downsizers October 7, 2016 Earlier this week, the government announced two major housing initiatives; a £3bn Home Building Fund to help smaller developers enter the market, and a £2bn Accelerated Construction Programme, which aims to get houses built quickly on public land. There was no mention of extending Help to Buy mortgage guarantees (due to end soon) or of [...]