Rising London house prices: What we can learn from Cyprus’s 2013 economic crash November 5, 2014 As international buyers continue to snap up London property and send house prices skyrocketing, a group of economists has suggested the events leading up to Cyprus's 2013 economic crash should be taken as a warning to UK banks. In March last year, Cyprus's debt had spiraled so far out of control that it came [...]
UK house price growth may be slowing, but Persimmon is bullish November 4, 2014 Persimmon has enjoyed the fruits of 2014’s high house-price inflation, but there were signs in its third quarter figures that a cooling market is beginning to take its toll. The UK’s largest house builder by market capitalisation announced a 12 per cent increase in forward sales totalling £696m in the three months to the end [...]
UK house prices: Property boom squeezes out lower paid October 30, 2014 Lower paid Britons have been increasingly unable to buy a house because of the combined impact of rising prices and new affordability checks, data from the Mortgage Advice Bureau showed yesterday. And those who can afford it have been stretching the terms of their mortgages out for longer than ever before, to cut monthly payments. [...]
London’s empire state of mind: New York warehouse conversion inspiration comes to Islington, Clapham, Stratford and Wapping October 30, 2014 Globalisation, it seems, is not only changing our work, life and shopping habits, it’s also changing our living arrangements. Industrial warehouse conversions, originally found in the meat-packing districts of New York, have crossed the Atlantic and found a new popularity on our shores. Old textile factories in north east London in particular have become [...]
Helios penthouse atop Kew Bridge West’s Hyperion Tower is a whole new level of luxury October 30, 2014 Flowers are not the only things sprouting up in Kew these days. A number of new housing developments are entering the market, enticing buyers to find better value for money in the greener, airier, more spacious suburbs of south west London. One of these is Kew Bridge West, a new development from St [...]
Can London build enough homes for 9m people? And where should the new houses be built? October 30, 2014 As our population has increased, housebuilding has become a major political issue. There’s now a consensus that the capital needs to get building to accommodate a population that’s expected to grow by 920,000 by 2024. But it’s not an impossible task, according to residential and commercial estate agent Stirling Ackroyd, who released their [...]
Merchants Walk in east London: Affordable house prices, yet very commutable October 30, 2014 As the fringes of the City soar in both popularity and price, first-time buyers and young professionals on modest incomes are looking to move a bit further afield. In this case “further afield” means 15 minutes away by Tube. Bow in Tower Hamlets, east London, has seen a spurt in popularity as a result, [...]
A Scottish castle for the price of a London one-bed? Yes, please October 30, 2014 Alright, so London might have the culture and bustle – but let's face it, when you have to fork out £550,000 to buy a garage, something's not right. Perhaps it would be better to give it all up and head north – where the air is clean and property prices are pretty reasonable. Take, for [...]
UK house prices rise 0.5 per cent in October, but longer-term trend is slowing October 30, 2014 Are house prices rocketing or is their growth slowing? It's getting confusing – according to Nationwide, the unpredictable UK housing market rose in October, with prices up 0.5 per cent month on month, after they fell 0.1 per cent in September. But the annual figure, a more reliable measure, slowed to nine per cent. As [...]
Mortgage approvals fall to lowest level since July 2013 October 29, 2014 Mortgage approvals have fallen to a 16-month low, adding further weight to the argument that the housing market is slowing down. Lenders approved just 61, 267 mortgages in September, figures published by the Bank of England revealed this morning, continuing the decline from a peak at the start of this year. In total, [...]