The most (and least) affordable places to live in Britain July 24, 2016 If you're a first-time buyer looking to jump on to the first rung of the ladder, it's time to look beyond London to get the most bang for your buck. The top 10 least affordable areas for wannabe homeowners are located in the capital as the average price of property for first timers jumped 12 [...]
Rental prices increased in June – but the market has been cooling off during the start of this year July 12, 2016 Rents kept increasing in the three months to June, but there are signs that the growth in the rental market slowed in the first half of 2016 as compared to last year. The average London renter now pays £1,575 per month, up 3.9 per cent on last year. Excluding Londoners, UK renters pay an average £773 [...]
Keep calm and carry on: City giants play down Brexit hit August 22, 2016 The City's top financial services firms are keeping calm and carrying on in the face of the UK’s shock vote to leave the European Union, according to new research from accountancy giant EY published today. After tracking every public statement from 232 banks, insurers, asset managers, fintech firms and private equity houses since the vote, [...]
Berkeley Group chairman Tony Pidgley backs Remain as the housebuilder’s revenues fall June 15, 2016 Berkeley group's chairman, the venerable Tony Pidgley, has backed the Remain side as the company announced this morning that its revenue had fallen. The figures Revenues fell at the UK housebuilder from £2.12bn to £2.05bn in the year to April 30. Pre-tax profits were also down, from £539.7m to £530.9m. The company said that there is "robust underlying demand" but [...]
UK house prices: This map shows every house price at nearly every railway station in England, Scotland and Wales July 20, 2016 For many first-time buyers, the path to property ownership is moving out London. But when you have a job in the capital, that's easier said than done. Step forward, online estate agent Emoov, which has produced a map of the average house price in the area surrounding almost every train station in the UK – [...]
UK construction PMI: Housebuilding increases at its fastest pace in a year October 2, 2015 Housing crisis? What housing crisis? Demand may be vastly outweighing supply in the UK's housing market at the moment – but the signs are looking increasingly encouraging, after new figures showed the UK's construction sector had one of its best months of the year in September, with growth hitting a seven-month high and – housebuilding [...]
New homes on sale in London this weekend: from flats on “Billionaire’s Row” to Regency style mews in Wimbledon June 24, 2016 Buxmead, Hampstead From £6.9m to £17m Though it’s only recently been dubbed “Billionaire’s Row”, Bishops Avenue in north west London has housed media magnates, Saudi Princes and A-List celebrities in its gated mansions for over a century. Criticised in some circles for its empty homes, a rare new build development went on sale last week [...]
The dramatic fall in sterling is a cause for celebration – not depression October 6, 2016 Sterling is now trading at well under $1.30 to the pound, the lowest it has been for 31 years. Is this a cause for gloom or celebration? Most people seem to be depressed by what is happening, but they ought to be rejoicing. The UK’s exchange rate rose massively during the monetarist era in the [...]
US tech leaders still ❤ London, even after Brexit September 19, 2016 Entrepreneurs and tech leaders in the US still have an eye for London as the transatlantic special relationship continues to flourish despite the looming prospect of Brexit. The capital still tops their list as the top tech hub in Europe and the best place from which to build business across the continent, a new survey of more than [...]
Mortgage lending fell in June but has “bounced back” since the stamp duty hike according to the British Bankers’ Association July 26, 2016 Mortgage lending dropped in June as banks approved the fewest mortgages since March last year and cut business lending. House purchase approval numbers were 11 per cent lower than in June 2015, but have "bounced back a little" from the numbers seen after the introduction of a stamp duty hike on second homes, the British [...]