WOW!house at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour review July 3, 2023 Sometimes your job as a writer is to critique, or nitpick – or at least to recommend improvements. At other times – and this should be done with a sigh after much internal questioning – it is to upbraid. Very rarely, your only duty is to praise and recommend – to add footfall and eyeballs [...]
London life back on top as country homes drop in price July 3, 2023 Soaring interest rates have softened the prices of luxury homes outside of London, according to new data, in a signal that the ‘move to the country’ trend fuelled by the pandemic is showing signs of slowing. The average value of luxury homes across UK markets outside of London – broadly the top five per cent [...]
Rate pain takes its toll as home sales tumbled almost 30 per cent in May June 30, 2023 Home sales tumbled by 27 per cent in May compared with the same month a year earlier, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures. Across the UK, 80,020 transactions were recorded in May 2023, which was also 3 per cent lower than in April 2023. HMRC’s report said the big fall compared with May [...]
John Lewis submits £500m London planning bid for 800 homes – but questions remain about affordability June 30, 2023 John Lewis is pressing on with its shift away from the high street and into residential property by submitting initial planning applications for new ‘build to rent’ homes in the capital The hard-hit retailer submitted proposals for nearly 800 rental homes on London sites in West Ealing and Bromley, with plans for a site in [...]
House price growth faces ‘significant drag’ from rate rises but London remains ‘buoyant’ June 30, 2023 House price growth may face “significant drag” from high interest rates as fresh figures show they remained relatively stable in June despite yearly growth being negative. The latest Nationwide House Price Index show house prices remained broadly flat in June, but down 2.5 per cent compared to last year, owing in part to 13 successive [...]
Mortgages: Number of people securing a home shot up weeks before BoE hiked rates June 29, 2023 Mortgage approvals continued to show signs of improvement in May, rising to 55,500 for the month as a whole up across the UK – up from 49,000 for the month of April, new data shows. The data provided by the Bank of England (Boe) is a fresh kick in the teeth for prospective buyers, who [...]
London’s wealthy put homes up for renting as mortgage rate rises bite June 28, 2023 London’s wealthy are placing their homes up for rent as they struggle to reach their ideal asking price on pads across upmarket boroughs such as Chelsea and Mayfair. Following the Bank of England’s decision to hike interest rates by 0.5 per cent, figures from estate agent Knight Frank show affluent sellers in some of London’s [...]
Mortgage mayhem: Homeowners forced to sell up at discount prices as rates soar June 28, 2023 Red hot mortgage rates are leading to sellers accepting lower prices for their properties, fresh data shows, creating further pain for the housing sector. As the market continues to grapple with the Bank of England’s recent 0.5 per cent interest rate hike, figures by estate agent Zoopla show that 42 per cent of sellers are [...]
Why the man who brought New York living to London thinks the capital is set for success June 27, 2023 Property impressario Jon Hitchcox, the brains behind The Lakes by Yoo, remains optimistic about Lomdon's immediate future
Hunt and big banks vow to ease mortgage pain with repossessions grace period June 23, 2023 Mortgage holders will get a 12-month grace period before banks begin repossessions on their homes, Jeremy Hunt has announced, after a crunch meeting with lenders at No11. The Chancellor said ministers were “particularly worried” about people falling behind on payments or having to switch deals at the end of a fixed rate mortgage. He announced [...]
