Sellers and estate agents in the prime central London property market are being more realistic with asking prices and as a result there is movement in what has been a stagnant market.
It’s hard not to think about the Monopoly board when considering what the most salubrious areas are in London. Park Lane and Mayfair may be the highest prized, but in reality, they’re being outstripped by a train station.
There are many reasons for buying a home: location, size and lifestyle all spring to mind. But equally important, though more elusive, is a sense of community. For Sarah and Justin Savage, who work in the theatre industry, that comes from a vibrant arts scene with pop-in-for-tea neighbours and a friendly local.
From 23-25 May, Clerkenwell Design Week will be upon us again. The annual event, with its artisan furniture makers and 3D-printing architects, will be the eighth celebration of the area’s transformation from post-industrial, City backwater to the home of more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else in the world.
Barclays report names Camden as an investment hotspot for HNWIs for the next five years, with average house prices set to rise almost 34 per cent by 2021. But can we predict the result of next week let alone five years into the future?
In its heyday, dukes, dandies, artists and politicians all lived and socialised in St James’s, London. The district, convenient for both St James’s Palace and the Houses of Parliament, was the height of fashion. Gladstone, Sir Isaac Newton and William Thackeray all lived here.
Estate agencies are spending tens of thousands of pounds developing virtual-reality tours of high-end properties, so buyers can privately gaze at the interior of immaculate homes, including those yet to be built, in their own time.
As property advisors, we are often asked what is the best kind of investment in London – a new build property or an older style or period property?
A dedicated space for doing hair, nails and make-up is becoming a must-have in high-end homes
Donald and Melania Trump have been handed the keys to the White House. This means that, in keeping with tradition, the Trumps are allowed to make changes to the property to meet their family’s needs.
Some locations are defying a downbeat Brexit market — with revived urban areas leading the way even at the best of times there are no sure things in property — and with political and economic uncertainty as a backdrop, coupled with tax changes that have hit many buyers hard, this is far from the best of times. Nonetheless, there are silver linings amid the dark pall that has hung over the market since last spring.
The biggest talking point in 2017 will be triggering Article 50 to begin the process of Britain’s exit from the EU, and what immediate effect this might have on property prices and the value of sterling. We also predict that as new tax changes start to take hold for private landlords in April 2017 we may start to see some landlords sell their properties, but with a low interest rate set to prevail, any wide-scale sell-off will likely be avoided.
We were delighted to have won, for the third year running, the Gold Award for Best Buying Estate Agent, in The Times/Sunday Times Estate Agency of the Year Awards.
