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Things to know when buying UK property

If you’re an overseas buyer looking for property here in the UK, it can be quite difficult to navigate the market.

We’ve shared our insights as a respected and experienced buying agency in Barclays this week, offering our advice on whether people should employ estate agents, or buying agents like the team here at Black Brick.

“Clients of buying agents are often seen by estate agents as more committed – they’ve already paid an up-front registration fee and gone through ‘know-your-customer’ procedures – most buyers do not do that unless they are serious about buying.”, our Founder, Camilla Dell shared.

Read the full article here.

International Women’s Day 2023: Wisdom & career advice from inspirational real estate leaders

Our Founder and Managing Partner, Camilla Dell has been featured in PrimeResi this week for International Women’s Day, celebrating remarkable women business leaders across the resi sector.

“I’ve never felt that being a woman meant I couldn’t do or achieve anything I wanted to. Maybe I was/am naïve but I simply refused to believe I was at a disadvantage because of my sex. I think mindset is key and believing in yourself no matter what.

I absolutely recognise that women are severely underrepresented in the property industry, but that is starting to change. And it’s not just property – the world of finance, private equity, hedge funds even charities are too white and too male.”, Camilla shared.

Read the full article here.

London mansion buyers are demanding more than just a fancy address

Wealthy buyers are increasingly making green demands for their new homes, Bloomberg has revealed.

Reflecting on this emerging buying trend within the prime property market, Black Brick Founder and Buying Agent, Camilla Dell shared how she had recently negotiated a deal on a block of seven investment apartments in London’s South Kensington district with energy efficiency ratings of D or lower. Black Brick was quoted £200,000 to upgrade the properties to a C rating, which Camilla subsequently negotiated off the purchase price.

“So much of London’s property doesn’t meet the C rating,” she said. “Most listed buildings and Victorian buildings don’t, but they are some of the capital’s most sought-after prime real estate.”

Read the full article here.

Who are the new super-rich buying in London?

London has become a “honeypot for tech gazillionairs from Silicon Valley”, Annabel Sampson writed in Tatler this week.

She spoke with Black Brick Founder and experienced property expert, Camilla Dell to hear her thoughts on the current prime central London property market.

Read the article here.

Luxury Mayfair homes are selling at the fastest rate since 2020

Whilst the wider UK housing market is slowing down, deals worth over £5 million in Mayfair are on the rise.

Sharing her thoughts into this peculiar statistic in Bloomberg, Black Brick buying agency Founder Camilla Dell commented: “Mayfair is the go-to safe haven place for wealthy buyers looking to park money on London property. There is an acute lack of supply and constant demand, supporting prices.”.

She went on to add that a sixth of her clients at Black Brick actively look to buy in Mayfair, with preferences ranging from £5 million flats to £15 million family apartments.

“Many of our clients visit in peak times — summer and Christmas — and spend up to 90 nights visiting London,” she said. “Even with service charges, you would still be saving money, plus you get the benefit of owning an asset that over time will appreciate in value.”

Read the full article here.

How wealthy foreigners are using the weak pound to snap up London homes

Overseas buyers are taking up properties in London’s most luxurious hotspots, reportedly “tempted a the cooling property market and weak pound”, Rachel Mortimer writes in The Telegraph this week.

Featuring in the article, Black Brick’s Camilla Dell shared her insights as a prime property buying expert of over 20 years: “Many vendors will place significant value on securing a cash buyer for their property, particularly in a market currently riven with down-valuations and fall throughs.”

“They may even accept a lower offer for their property if the buyer is able to pay in cash. It is a buyers’ market at the moment and being a cash buyer means that you have a better chance of getting a better price agreed.”

Read the article here.

Black Brick to visit UAE and advise where to buy in London this year

This week in Zawya, Black Brick Founder and Managing Partner Camilla Dell reveals where Middle East hopeful buyers should look for property in London this year.

With 23 of our clients here at Black Brick buying agents coming from the UAE, we are regular visitors to the region, meeting with potential clients and partners to share insight into London’s prime central property market.

Read the full article here.

The new house price hotspots favoured by high earners

Those who earn the highest in our country massively influence the growth of house prices.

As such, data into their movements enable buying agents like Black Brick determine emerging new property and neighbourhood hotspots.

Featuring in The Times this week to reflect on the latest revelations of high earners’ property interests, our Managing Partner, Camilla Dell shared her thoughts.

Read the full article here.

How will the property market fare in 2023?

The turbulence of the last year has had huge repercussions across almost every aspect of the UK and global economy.

Commenting on what we expect 2023 to have in store for our country’s premium property market, Black Brick Founder and Managing Partner, Camilla Dell sat down for an interview with Luxury London.

“Luxury, rare assets will always have demand over areas that are more susceptible, outside of prime central London,” Camilla reflected. She then went on to forecast that prices in prime London will drop two per cent in 2023, which is low, although she stressed that this should be taken with a pinch of salt:

“Predicting property values is extremely difficult, particularly in a market like London where different property types and areas all factor hugely in determining how values will perform over time.” Even if the picture is worse than imagined, it may be a case of simply holding out, as inflation is predicted to peak in the middle of the year, meaning that “we should see some light at the end of the tunnel as we enter Q3 2023”.

Read the full article here.