Property of the Week: Christie’s wine vaults have been turned into a bachelor pad in South Kensington February 19, 2019 An art dealer looking for a pied a terre could do worse than living adjacent to Christie’s auction house. This two bedroom duplex is so close to the internationally famous business where fine art and jewellery is sold to the highest bidder that it used to be its wine vault. For years, this space held [...]
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 [...]
Greystar and Henderson Park snap up Telford build-to-rent site for £105m February 19, 2019 London housebuilder Telford Homes revealed this morning that it has sold one of its largest build-to-rent development sites for more than £100m. US developer Greystar and European real estate investment platform Henderson Park have snapped up the Equipment Works scheme in Walthamstow, which comprises more than 250 rental homes, for £105.5m in their latest bid to [...]
Transactions slips as market ‘holds its breath’ in run-up to Brexit February 18, 2019 Fresh evidence of an activity slump in Britain’s housing market has been brought to light this morning, with new data showing a sharp drop in property transactions during the last three months. The average number of sales recorded by estate agents in November to January were 36 per cent lower than the long-term average, as [...]
Holiday Homes: Head to Samoens in the French Alps to suss out new ski homes that allow you to resort hop at no extra cost February 18, 2019 Families wanting to buy a ski apartment without the hefty price tag of the best-known French resorts are finding smaller ski areas like Samoëns are a breath of fresh mountain air. An hour by car from Geneva, Samoëns is described by the French as one of their monuments historiques – that just happens to be [...]
Opinion: Why Michael Gove’s plan to force housebuilders to leave green spaces better than they found them is a good idea February 18, 2019 Last December, Michael Gove announced proposals to enforce biodiversity net gain at new housing schemes. This would essentially require natural environments to be left in a better state than they were found by developers. The consultation on the plans closed on Sunday and I hope it will produce a host of positive outcomes. The environmental [...]
UK house prices’ affordability improves at fastest rate for eight years as wage growth outpaces prices February 18, 2019 Prospective house buyers could be set for a change in fortunes as affordability improves at its fastest rate in eight years, new data has revealed. With annual house price growth at just 0.2 per cent, the annual wage increase of 3.4 per cent is outpacing asking prices at the fastest rate since 2011, according to figures [...]
Proportion of foreign buyers snapping up central London homes hits six-year high February 18, 2019 The proportion of homes in prime central London bought by international buyers hit its highest level in six years in 2018 as foreign buyers cash in on a drop in the pound. Fifty-seven per cent of homes bought in the capital’s most sought-after postcodes in the second half of 2018 were snapped up by an [...]
Citigroup closes in on £1.2bn purchase of Canary Wharf headquarters February 17, 2019 Citigroup is in talks to buy its Canary Wharf headquarters for a reported £1.2bn in a major show of confidence in London’s status as a global financial centre. Citi is looking to secure the purchase of the 25 Canada Square skyscraper, which it currently leases, from owner AGC Equity Partners in a bid to double [...]
Interiors: Laura Ivill reviews the new sustainable Ikea Greenwich on its opening weekend February 15, 2019 Four years in the planning, Ikea Greenwich opened last weekend as the company’s first “sustainable store” in the UK. A pilot ran in Germany, but the Swedish behemoth, the world’s largest homewares retailer, chose SE10 for its new dawn. Billed as taking sustainability to the next level, it opened with a BREEED 'excellent' accreditation for green [...]