Super Thursday: Interest rate rise by the Bank of England could end the buy-to-let boom August 6, 2015 It looks like momentum to raise interest rates could be building over at the Bank of England (BoE), however a legal advice service has warned this could spell disaster for the UK's booming buy-to-let market. Minutes due to be released later today are expected to show between two to three members of the nine-strong rate-setting [...]
Help-to-buy sees high use October 30, 2014 JUST under 34,000 homes have been bought using the government’s Help-to-Buy scheme, requiring £1.42bn of loans from the Treasury. The scheme provides a loan to first-time buyers of new builds. The loan can be up to 20 per cent of the house price with only a five per cent deposit needed. The homes most commonly bought [...]
Lending decline points to cooler housing market November 11, 2014 LENDING to home buyers fell month-on-month in September, but remains substantially higher than a year ago. The number of loans to home buyers was 58,000 in September – seven per cent lower than in August – according to figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders yesterday. However, the figure is still 13.1 per cent [...]
Limassol hopes for yachts of cash with its revamped marina June 25, 2015 Luxury superyachts and Cyprus are not two words you would normally associate with each other in the Mediterranean’s troubled economic climate. And yet there are remarkable signs of returning prosperity to Cyprus, most obviously at Limassol Marina on the south coast of the island, which opened last year. It’s the first superyacht marina in [...]
Prestigious brands suffer falling sales in China – but luxury hasn’t lost its lustre just yet November 19, 2015 Fom Hermes handbags and Tiffany jewellery, to Moet champagne and Hennessy cognac, luxury companies have had a storming run on the stock markets since the turn of the millennium. Alongside high-end brands with very exclusive products, the luxury sector also includes names considered commonplace in the West, such as Nike, L’Oreal and Swatch – which [...]
Focus on Earlsfield: The hidden wonder near Nappy Valley February 12, 2015 A few years ago, I’d say where I lived and no one would have a clue where it was,” says Rupert Grieg, sales manager at Foxtons’ Earlsfield branch. “But then you said, it’s between Wimbledon and Balham, and suddenly it made sense.” For most people, this is probably still true. Swamped by popular neighbours – [...]
Mansion tax, shmansion tax: This £24m Notting Hill home sold just before the General Election May 29, 2015 Property types may have been worried about the looming spectre of a mansion tax during the run-up to the General Election – but that concern clearly didn't stretch to one billionaire buyer, who forked out £24m on a house in Notting Hill. An "unmodernised" end-of-terrace home on Kensington Park Gardens, which comes complete with eight [...]
The BMW 3 Series may be the staple of the 1980s but the new model proves it’s slicker than ever September 28, 2015 Back in the 1980s, the BMW 3 Series was the car of choice for up-and-coming types in the City. A 325i was as de rigueur as red braces and a Filofax; if your trades hadn’t quite earned you the hot six-cylinder one, you could have a 316i and take the badges off (a trick so [...]
Growth culture for SMEs July 5, 2015 Gunnercooke’s Darryl Cooke tells William Railton what SMEs can learn from rugby and cycling coaches WE DON’T keep time sheets. Instead, our clients agree a budget for our services before they sign on the dotted line, to eliminate unforeseen costs.” This is the kind of progressive thinking which drives Darryl Cooke, the founder of disruptive [...]
Mansion blocks are real British antiques that can command impressive prices July 9, 2015 Most people think of estate agent hyperbole as a modern affliction. After all, what’s a contemporary house viewing if it isn’t peppered with “generous” reception rooms stocked with “state-of-the-art” smart systems in “vibrant” neighbourhoods? In fact, we may have the Victorians to blame for this, starting with the “mansion flat”. The term was coined in [...]