River views, great food, warehouse conversions – what more could you want in SE1?

Bermondsey has long been “condemned as a slum”, but recently it’s evolved into a London hotspot for the arts.

With property prices in the region having peaked this year at an incredible £4.7m, we shared our thoughts for a new piece in City A.M., discussing the revival of the neighbourhood and what’s attracting prime property buyers.

“Bermondsey has a high concentration of local authority buildings, in which privately owned apartments can be bought for under £650 per square foot,” Black Brick buying agent, Jamie Burnhope said. “With the regeneration at Elephant and Castle and the continual growth of London Bridge, Borough, and Shad Thames, Bermondsey represents a very good-value option for any first time buyer wanting to be in a central location.”

Read more in the full article here.

Experts’ guide to selling your home faster this autumn

In a new article for Everything Overseas this week, Black Brick Partner, Caspar Harvard-Walls shares his perspective on the UK property market in autumn.

“The property market has, without doubt, shifted in favour of the buyer, so sellers need to make sure that they give themselves every opportunity of achieving a sale. The most crucial point is price, so owners need to look at their local market and honestly gauge whether they are listed at the right level.” he said.

“Owners who are looking to make a quick sale should make sure that they understand what their target audience demands. If they have a family house, then they should focus on making sure that the kitchen looks its best, rather than focusing on whether the surround sound system works. If, however, the property is likely to appeal to a professional couple, the priorities for the master bedroom and bathroom become much more relevant.”

“As a seller, you want a buyer to aspire to purchase your home. If the property is not taken care of, then this becomes so much more difficult. The first impression really does matter; try to think about your home through the buyer’s eyes. Just because you don’t mind your underwear all over the bedroom floor and the bath full of hair doesn’t mean that everyone else does. If in doubt, keep everything neutral, so that the buyer can imagine what it would be like if they moved in.”

View the article online here.

Off-street parking, plus an annexe

Which simple features or additions could you make to ump up the value of your London home?

In a new piece for The Times this week, we discussed our thoughts on how properties with annexes or driveways can surprisingly increase its value by a considerable amount.

In the article, Black Brick Partner, Caspar Harvard-Walls shared how “[Black Brick] don’t come across blue plaques very often — they are still pretty rare. It’s something that will assist in getting viewings but not necessarily add value unless it’s someone very famous.”.

“In terms of architectural significance, the Barbican, in the City of London, has an incredible following from people who like that brutalist architecture. The Barbican has its own market — there is nothing like it — and as a result achieves values in excess of the local market.”, he continued.

Read more in the full article here.

How speculation shaped the housing market

New data has reported that UK house prices are slowly still rising, in spite of current economic uncertainty.

Sharing her thoughts as a top buying agent for London prime property, Black Brick Founder Camilla Dell featured in a new article by The Independent this week to talk all about the current state of UK property.

Commenting on recent interventions supposedly to help first-time buyers, Camilla said: “The reality is that the intervention may have actually made things worse for them. As a result of changes to Stamp Duty, we now see a far greater number of investment clients buying smaller properties for investment and directly competing with first-time buyers. I feel that the new Chancellor now has an opportunity to address this and alter the very punitive levels of Stamp Duty that we now see, which should help diffuse some of the competition at the lower levels of the market.”

Tips on selling large-family homes

Large, four-to-five-bedroom homes are often a little harder to sell, with a smaller pool of buyers to choose from.

In a new article for The Times this week, we share our advice and top tips for how sellers should go about selling on their large family homes.

Black Brick Partner, Caspar Harvard-Walls shared how, for the grounds, the key is have them photographed at their best and in bright weather:

“Even if you want one more Christmas in the family home, have your pictures taken earlier in the year, when the garden is in bloom,” he said.

Read more in the full article here.

Mystery clouds UK’s most expensive home – who owns the £63m flat and why does it keep going on sale?

The UK’s most expensive property is in London’s One Hyde Park, International Business Times has shared this week.

Apartment C.08.1 in the luxury One Hyde Park development by Candy & Candy is housed in “the most valuable block of flats in the world”, according to writer Shane Croucher.

Sharing our perspective as to why this ultra high-end property has gone up for sale so many times, Black Brick Partner, Caspar Harvard-Walls offered his thoughts:

“I think the super-prime end of the market has been going down in terms of values for almost two years. A lot of people are laying the blame at Brexit’s door, but really the market had shifted before that.”, he said.

Read the article here.

Brexit may trigger prime London slump – but not for ‘the global elite’

Black Brick buying agency has warned that some areas of prime central London might face a slowing market in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Sharing how thoughts in a new piece for Estate Agent Today, our Founder and Managing Partner, Camilla Dell commented on how the so-called ‘global-elite’ might not be so affected, though.

“Investors drawn to homes selling in the sub-£2m price bracket will continue, because of those properties’ favourable yields and domestic demand.”, but “the same can’t be said for the prime and new-build outer prime markets.”

Read the full article here.

London is going to retain its attractiveness to wealthy international buyers regardless of this outcome

At Black Brick, we strongly believe that London will retain international investment despite Brexit.

Explaining our thoughts in a new article for Prime Resi, our Founder, Camilla Dell stated why it is our belief that the UK capital will still be seen as a attractive to wealthy overseas property buyers in the wake of Brexit.

“Now that an ‘out’ vote has been cast, we will, no doubt, experience a period of ongoing uncertainty as the UK seeks to agree a way forward with the EU. Sterling may weaken even further, making London property even more attractive to foreign buyers.”, she said.

“In general terms, London is going to retain its attractiveness to wealthy international buyers regardless of this outcome; its cultural attractions, geographic location, legal system, and concentration of talent mean that there will always be demand for Prime Central London property.”

See the full online article here.

Is it too early to get rich from Crossrail 2?

If you’re looking for property that’s in easy reach of London, then you’d best look at the neighbourhoods near to the high-speed rail route – and it could make you a decent profit, too.

Offering up our advice to London property buyers in a new article for The Telegraph this week, Black Brick buying agent consultant, Jamie Burnhope shared:

“One of the quickest ways to see capital appreciation from property investment is to buy into an area which is set to benefit from improvements to transport infrastructure. We’ve seen it happen since the opening of the East London Line and we’ve seen it in London and beyond since the announcement of Crossrail 1 – and it’s not even operational yet,”.

Read the full article here.

Rich people are buying secret luxury apartments for the help

A new article in the New York Post this week has revealed how many of the super-rich are buying up “bijoux crash-pads” for their staff.

Offering our perspective and experience in the sector, as a top buying agency for high-profile clients, Black Brick buying agent, Caspar Harvard-Walls shared his thoughts on why so many wealthy people are buying up secret penthouses and apartments for their teams:

“The competition to hire, and keep, the best staff — a personal assistant, nanny, butler or house manager — has gotten way more intense over the last 10 years. So the way they are housed has changed enormously.”

Read more in the full article here.