How a relationship break-up spurred this founder to build ‘Ebay for travel’ to help flog unwanted holidays May 20, 2019 When you think of unwanted items, holidays don’t tend to spring to mind. But according to Simon Powell, founder of TransferTravel, billions of dollars are wasted globally on unwanted travel every year, while an estimated 220,000 hotel rooms are paid for and never used every day in the US alone, wasting $8.6bn annually. And with [...]
Mortgage lending to first time buyers increases as stamp duty bites landlords January 17, 2017 Buy to let landlords continued to shun the property market towards the end of last year, allowing more first time buyers to take out home loans. The number of loans taken out by landlords fell 10 per cent year-on-year in November, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), suggesting that tax changes [...]
Focus On Blackheath: New development is thin on the ground in this quintessential London village October 5, 2018 T here’s a lot of development going on in South East London, but you won’t find it in Blackheath. This little enclave is on the borders of Greenwich, Kidbrooke and Lewisham, which are all undergoing Joan Rivers-level facelifts in the next few years, but there’s nothing going on in Blackheath by comparison. Housebuilding behemoth Berkeley [...]
The simple changes that could save the Lifetime Isa August 31, 2018 It’s never been harder for young people to get on the property ladder, and yet they’re not being given the tools or information they need. The Lifetime Isa was supposed to help, but ended up leaving a lot of people confused. While some are calling for it to be scrapped altogether, I think the Lifetime [...]
To fix the housing crisis, ministers should listen to businesses in London – scrap the migration cap and build more homes in the green belt April 18, 2018 First-time buyers are going to extreme lengths to save up a deposit, according to an amusing survey published by Santander this morning. “Almost 2m are willing to swap nutritious meals for pot noodles,” the bank says, inadvertently casting doubt over the future of the global avocado market. The research also reveals that 38 per cent [...]
Keep the customer satisfied September 9, 2019 Everyone is looking for the secret to success in business. Perhaps they always have been; Dale Carnegie was writing self-help books for what we’d now call entrepreneurs in the 1930s. There’s an inevitable tension between the idea that there are universal lessons or tips, and that each business venture is unique and entirely of its [...]
First time buyers, close your eyes – in 1996, you could buy a house in Hackney for £75,000 February 17, 2017 House prices in the London borough of Hackney have rocketed 700 per cent in the last 20 years. It may seem hard to believe now, but in 1996 the average house price in Hackney was just £75,569. Now, the average price is £606,269 – a jump of 702 per cent. Read more: This tiny house [...]
A share in a housing nightmare? The problems with leasehold contracts and shared ownership July 10, 2019 The saga around leasehold contracts gets more complicated for buyers using the shared ownership scheme
Holiday homes: Limassol seeks new lease of life as a luxury property hotspot December 6, 2019 Cyprus has long been a favourite family holiday destination – sunny nearly all year round, moderately priced and famed for its homely Mediterranean cuisine and relaxed atmosphere. Glitzy St Tropez it is not, but that is all set to change as Limassol – located on Cyprus’ south coast – sets its sights on becoming Europe’s [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend August 31, 2018 New developments on the market this week Manhattan Plaza, Poplar From £599,995 Hate furniture shopping? Four fully-dressed two bedroom apartments are going on sale this weekend at this development close to Canary Wharf and Blackwall DLR stations. The flats are being used to sell the last two and three bedroom homes, many of which are [...]