The convertible for all weathers March 17, 2014 The new BMW 435i Convertible is a versatile offering that’s perfect for the temperamental British climate Looking for somewhere that’s warm at this time of year? Well, you can strike Nevada off the list – BMW just launched the new 4 Series Convertible there, and it was freezing. I know, I know – poor old [...]
Why we urgently need to inject competition into our banking sector August 4, 2013 THE banking industry has struggled to generate positive coverage over the past five years and unfortunately, the public largely continues to view it negatively. The question is: will the new regulatory regime, as well as a new governor at the Bank of England, deliver change within our banking system and unleash what is urgently needed – competition? The [...]
Prospective first time buyers hit by the escalating cost of renting August 9, 2012 HOPEFUL first time home buyers are trapped in an increasingly expensive rental market, according to a series of separate studies released yesterday and today. The cost of renting a home shot up by 4.3 per cent in the year to May-July, with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) explaining that “many would-be buyers continue [...]
How Labour can deliver on its pledge and tackle London’s housing drought September 24, 2013 HAROLD Macmillan made his reputation – and became Prime Minister – after delivering on his pledge to build 300,000 houses a year in the early 1950s. As Ed Miliband made clear yesterday, when he promised that a Labour government would ensure that 200,000 new homes were built annually by 2020, we now need similar ambition. [...]
14 buyers fight for each house sold in London November 24, 2013 MORE than a dozen potential buyers are now battling for each property coming onto the market in London, according to an estate agent releasing new figures today. Barnard Marcus reports that there are now 14 people trying to get on the housing ladder for every new instruction to sell in the capital, pushing prices even [...]
Focus on… Hammersmith: It’s Hammersmith time in London September 26, 2013 HOMES in Hammersmith are increasing in value as young professionals and families compete for properties in the area. Bordered by Shepherd’s Bush in the north and Fulham in the south, the west London area has found its housing stock in short supply in recent years, leading to an average of six applicants per property and [...]
Furnishings designed to impress February 27, 2014 Melissa York talks to Karen Howes about creating riverside luxury HOW DO you please the buyer that has everything? This is the question Karen Howes has to answer every day. She’s the co-founder and chief executive officer of Taylor Howes, an interior design firm that specialises in furnishing the homes of the uber-rich. “Every element [...]
We can solve Britain’s housing crisis. Here’s how February 27, 2014 IF WE could build and heat homes with the hot air generated by the UK’s housing crisis debate, we would solve both issues in one go. Eighteen months ago, the issue was the availability of mortgage finance. We could not build because our customers could not borrow, and that was dragging the volume of new [...]
From forlorn flats to towering success January 30, 2014 One Commercial Street is the residential project proving London’s back in business OF ALL the new towers cropping up around the UK, an ambitious development, abandoned during the financial crash, is proving that London can bounce back from a crisis. Developer Redrow London now has high hopes for its flagship project, One Commercial Street, in [...]
Government gloats of Help to Buy success as bubble expands August 13, 2013 Since the launch of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme in April, there have been 10,000 reservations for new build homes: evidence, the government has said, that the scheme is working (release). Earlier today, communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles said: This government’s package of measures to boost the housing market is working, [...]