Area guide: Wembley – house prices have risen by 10 per cent in the last year April 14, 2016 It may be the home of football, but Wembley’s also home to around 115,000 Londoners. And with its diverse housing stock and decent transport links, it could be your new home, too. Research from estate agent Hamptons International recorded a “surge” in transactions in Wembley last year, as hundreds of new build flats went on [...]
Buy-to-let mortgage boom runs out of steam as lending falls in December February 16, 2016 The buy-to-let mortgage boom receded toward the end of last year, new figures show today. The amount of cash loaned to buy-to-let investors dropped by three per cent in December compared with November, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said. It was also down one per cent in the three months from the three months to September. Over [...]
Local governments demand more control over starter homes after warning they will be unaffordable February 17, 2016 Local governments have today warned Westminster that discounted starter homes will be unaffordable to the majority that need them unless the scheme is given more flexibility. First-time buyers will be able to buy 200,000 new starter homes over the next five years at a discount of at least 20 per cent to market value. Research by [...]
Meet the man making 10,000 luxury watches a year in Britain February 20, 2017 It takes two years to make a Bremont watch. It takes seven years to train the person who makes it. “We tend to mop up the area when we hire,” says Giles English, one half of the fraternal founders of Bremont, the luxury watch company. “We can’t just rock up and ask for a watchmaker [...]
UK house prices: Number of first-time buyers soar to highest level since the financial crash January 6, 2015 The number of first-time buyers soared to its highest level since 2007 last year, according to The Halifax. Last year the number of first-time buyers rose to 326,500, up 22 per cent on 2013, representing the highest number of first-time buyers since the financial crash of 2008. Halifax said the cost of putting down a [...]
Bullhorn’s Art Papas explains why a good deal isn’t all about the money October 3, 2016 Four years ago I was approached by several private equity (PE) firms intent on investing in my company. Bullhorn’s valuation was higher than it had ever been. However, the decision to partner with a financial sponsor was more about enabling our strategic vision for the business than realising a financial goal. As companies get bigger, [...]
First homes revealed at Quebec Quarter as part of 10-year revamp at Canada Water February 23, 2016 Champagne sits in a bucket, ready to be poured into designer flutes and raised to the unusually high ceiling in the show room of a two bedroom apartment. Earlier in the week, this very room had convinced a cash buyer from Paris to part ways with around £800,000 cash for a second home. These are [...]
RICS says UK housing market back on track – but London house prices will fall October 13, 2016 Demand for housing is returning to the capital after a chilly period for the market both before and immediately after the EU referendum in June. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has said more chartered surveyors are reporting an increase in buyer enquiries, up for the first time since February. Read more: This is [...]
UK house prices: Property prices increased by as much as the average salary – but in London it’s more than double that January 22, 2016 The property market might be cooling, but last year still gave home-owners a solid boost to their wealth, with new research suggesting UK properties gained in value by as much as the average salary. Throughout 2015, the average homeowner made £27,264 – or £16 for every working hour of the year. Those who own property in London, [...]
Barratt Developments share price rises as profits jump 40 per cent, boosted by government housebuilding initiatives February 24, 2016 Another day, another stellar performance by a housebuilder: Barratt said revenues rose by a fifth last year, thanks to rocketing house prices. The figures Revenues rose 19 per cent to £1.87bn in the six months to the end of December, up from £1.58bn the year before. That pushed pre-tax profits up 40.3 per cent to £295m. Completions rose 9.4 per cent to 7,626, while average selling price increased 10.9 per cent to £254,200 – [...]