Yopa raises £20m as boss hails ‘disruption’ to traditional high street agencies August 27, 2018 One of the UK’s fastest growing estate agencies has secured £20m in new funding today, underlining the threats that traditional brands face as new online rivals look to expand. Hybrid estate agency Yopa has now raised more than £70m since its launch in early 2016, with the latest cash injections coming from the Daily Mail’s venture [...]
Don’t be daft, foreign buyers keep housing supply alive August 24, 2018 New Zealand has been facing a familiar crisis to us here in the UK. Rising house prices, declining home ownership, and an influx of interest from foreign buyers. Less familiar, however, is the New Zealand government’s recent decision to ban foreign buyers from purchasing property in the country. It’s a decision that has come amid growing [...]
Property of the Week: Find out how much it is to have former prime ministers and BBC presenters as neighbours in Connaught Village August 24, 2018 Most London villages are affluent places that aim to be the best of both worlds. Leafy streets and indie retailers take the beauty and community of rural life, but the school run can be done on foot and the office is half an hour away on the Tube. Albion Street, Hyde Park, £5m Connaught Village [...]
New homes: All the new developments going on sale this weekend, including Help to Buy and Shared Ownership August 24, 2018 New developments on the market this week The Quarry, Bexley From £167,500 for a 50 per cent share of a £335,000 home Part-buy, part-rent 27 new homes in Erith on the border of London and Kent. Around 600 Shared Ownership and Help to Buy homes have been built on the site of a disused quarry [...]
Mortgage approvals drop as housing activity slump shows little sign of picking up August 24, 2018 Mortgage lending dipped in July, despite an uptick in homeowners seeking cheaper interest rates ahead of the Bank of England rate rise earlier this month. Approvals for mortgages fell 4.3 per cent year-on-year in July, having risen to a nine-month high in June, in a fresh sign that housing activity in the UK's property market [...]
Tech titans bed down in London: Why Brexit won’t be bringing about a ‘techxodus’ any time soon August 24, 2018 Brexit has generated investment uncertainty for many companies, but not – it would seem – for the US tech giants opening the throttle and splashing out on multi-million long-term property deals in London and creating thousands of jobs. Facebook, Google, Snap and Apple have firmly quashed the notion that the UK’s exit from the EU [...]
Opinion: Young families are moving out of London at an alarming rate but they may regret it in a few years time August 23, 2018 Young families in their 30s moving out of London escaping the rat race in search of better value, more space and good schools is nothing new. However, what is surprising is the rate at which this exodus in increasing. Net migration out of the capital – people moving out minus people moving in – was [...]
UK buyers flock back to City market as investment levels soar August 23, 2018 UK buyers are returning to the Square Mile’s property market after a dry spell that has lasted several years, according to Savills research out today. Domestic investors poured more than £1.3bn into City commercial property in the first seven months of 2018, marking a sharp rise compared with last year, when investment levels hit £1.4bn [...]
Property legal Q&A: I own a flat with a short lease and cannot afford to extend it. I am now facing difficulty selling my property. Do I have any options? August 23, 2018 You don’t say how short the lease is but it appears to be short enough to deter potential buyers from buying your property. Some lenders require a minimum of 85 years left to run on a lease before they will be willing to lend. Parties are generally worried the nearer the lease gets to 80 [...]
Crossrail marks the spot: Office rents near upcoming Elizabeth Line surge in City fringes August 23, 2018 Rents for City fringe office space situated near Crossrail sites have soared as property hawks prepare to cash in on the new railway line coming to London. Grade A office rental values in Crossrail hotspots around the Square Mile have shot up far higher than neighbouring areas since 2010, according to new Savills research carried [...]