House prices begin to stabilise after 22 months of falls March 12, 2012 REAL estate professionals have delivered the most upbeat forecast on house prices since May 2010, with predictions of a stable market in the next three months. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found those questioned were evenly split between expecting prices to go up and down, leaving a net balance of zero. The neutral [...]
Vodka with a twist of family history March 12, 2012 ZOROKOVICH 1917 vodka looks very cool with its retro Soviet-meets-pop-art label. And let me tell you, this £30-per-bottle spirit also slides down rather well, a fact on which Selfridges, Skylon, Jerry’s in Soho and China Tang at the Dorchester – stockists of Zorokovich 1917 – agree. But what is unique about Zorokovich is its history, [...]
The women cooking up a storm March 12, 2012 THE phrase “Girls Night Out” has a chick-lit girliness to it, but the series of three dinners hosted under that name at One Lombard Street this week is anything but pink and girly. A celebration of top women in the male-dominated business of cheffing and wine, the series was organised by ex-Ramsay super-chef and head [...]
Government backs 95% mortgages for first-time buyers March 12, 2012 The government has launched a new mortgage indemnity scheme that is designed to allow first-time buyers to step onto the property ladder and boost the construction industry. Under the NewBuy scheme major lenders including Barclays, Nationwide and Natwest will allow people to borrow up to 95 per cent of the value of a home, with [...]
London rental costs slide due to weak jobs outlook March 11, 2012 THE WEAK jobs market in the City is partly responsible for a decline in central London rents, new research suggested this morning. Residential rental costs soared in the capital from mid-2009 to the end of last year – but have now started to ease off. On a three-monthly basis designed to iron out monthly fluctuations, [...]
Government to back up mortgages for new builds March 11, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT will today launch a scheme designed to make new-build homes available to more first time buyers. The NewBuy programme will use an indemnity fund and government guarantee to back up 95 per cent loan-to-value mortgages. The mortgages will reduce the size of required deposits, its proponents say. Property website Rightmove argues that the [...]
Gulf property giants size up merger deal March 11, 2012 ABU Dhabi’s struggling developer Aldar Properties may merge with local rival Sorouh Real Estate in a state-backed tie-up that could create a company worth $15bn (£9.6bn) in assets. A decision on the merger of the top two developers in the emirate will be made within three months after a joint committee assesses the matter, the [...]
Doing game right – a stone’s throw from Cape Town March 11, 2012 After hours of anticipation, I finally caught sight of it – right in front of our jeep. Romantically backlit by the pinkening sky, a tall G&T with glinting ice cubes and a slice of lemon. Sundowners on safari. Best idea ever. We’d arrived in Cape Town five days ago for a little city before our [...]
TRAVEL NOTES March 11, 2012 Boutique boltholes in Bath (and beyond) If you fancy the ultimate romantic getaway, check out the OHH Collection’s newly refurbished handful of boutique hotels and gastro pubs in Bath and England’s “prettiest village”, Castle Coombe. Think ivy-covered period houses, ornate fireplaces and quirky furniture – the properties are decorated by the owner’s mother. The six-bed [...]
Living in the limelight March 8, 2012 IF you’ve got the cash, you’re unlikely to spend it better than on this Grade-II listed former water tower – if originality alongside opulence is your bag. Note that the property is being sold 90 per cent complete, leaving 10 per cent of the refurbishment to the buyer. Built in the early 1930s it was [...]
