Stamp duty bonanza ‘may stoke inflation and interest rates’

Chancellor Kwasi Kwateng announced radical changes to stamp duty payments this week, and experts have reacted by predicting yet more increased house prices.

Black Brick’s Partner and experienced buying agent, Caspar Harvard-Walls has joined criticism of the move in The Times, arguing that it fails to address a lack of supply in the market. “Tax breaks are welcome, but there is still the fundamental issue of there not being enough new homes being built every year.”

Read more in the full article here.

Everything you need to know about moving to Dulwich, south London

Dulwich, in South London has been described in The Times this week as a “historic area”, that’s “green by nature and lifestyle”.

Sharing our insights as an experienced buying agency for London and the wider UK, Black Brick’s senior property consultant, Tom Kain commented:

“Dulwich has seen some of the sharpest rises in property prices of any area over the last 25 years. Knight Frank reported in 2018 that prices had risen 1,150 per cent since 1995, making it home to the highest long-term rise of any area in England and Wales over the period. Teachers, doctors and artists are being replaced by bankers and lawyers.”

Read the full article here.

Why 2022 is the year to buy a central London flat

Whilst the overseas buyers are away, this year might just be the perfect time for UK to buy a central London flat – without the competition.

Commenting on the current market for prime central London property, Black Brick Founder, Camilla Dell shared her thoughts in a new article for The Times.

“I think we will see a lot of Middle Eastern buyers coming back after Ramadan,” she said, “Maybe there is hesitation. What could be putting them off? Boris Johnson! There is potential for political turbulence looming . . .”

Read more in the full article here.

How to find a house in an overheated market

This year is proving to be a hot year for the UK housing market, with record highs in both demand and prices.

In a new article for The Times this week, Black Brick Founder & Managing Partner, Camilla Dell spoke about how times like these call for buying agents to help people find their dream home within a tough market.

Camilla shared how, here at Black Brick, we use a targeted letter-drop system with in-house mapping technology to help our clients find their perfect property. “For a client in Dulwich we targeted 20 roads, sent 50 letters, got six responses; my client bought one of those houses,” she said.

Read the full article here.

Is now a good time to buy luxury property in London?

London’s premium property sector is certainly coming back to life, with overseas buyers returning and international trade getting started up again.

Sharing her perspective as the owner of buying agency Black Brick, which was founded in 2007, Camilla Dell has been featured in The Times this week, discussing the current state of prime central London property.

“We have the most enormous pipeline with over £50 million worth of properties under offer, anything from flats priced at £2 million up to £25 million,” Camilla said, adding that “The New York market is hotting up and some American buyers might think they’ve missed the boat there and decide to buy here instead,”.

Read the full article here.

China’s super-rich are buying up prime London property

London is apparently now the world’s most popular place to invest in for the Chinese, according to The Times.

In the article, writer Carol Lewis spoke with Black Brick Founder and Managing Partner, Camilla Dell to hear her experiences of overseas buyers from China, as a London buying agent dealing with an array of high-profile clients looking for prime property in the UK capital.

Camilla shared how she had recently been approached by a “fixer in Dubai who was looking for property for a Chinese buyer in Hong Kong”. Restrictions on currency exchange mean that many wealthy Chinese have become adept at moving money around and often have global connections.

Read the full article here.

What should you ask to see on a virtual viewing of a property?

Asking the right questions when you’re viewing a property virtually is crucial.

Black Brick Buying Agents Managing Partner, Camilla Dell has shared her advice on virtual property viewing in the latest piece for The Times.

“Don’t be afraid to ask the agent to stop talking and open the windows so you can try and check for street/traffic noise,” she commented. “If it’s a flat, make sure you get to see the common parts, the lift — all vital and will tell you a lot about the quality of the building and how well it’s managed.”

To learn more, read the full article here.

Homes the super rich are buying now

What kinds of properties are the wealthiest of the wealthy most interested in right now? Have Penthouses overtaken mega-mansions?

Well, Black Brick buying agent, Caspar Harvard-Walls has shared his thoughts in a new piece for The Times, citing why penthouses are increasingly becoming popular with the super-rich, and buying top dollar.

“It is the classic thing of people trying to call the bottom of the market. For those with American dollars there’s been an extra incentive. The weak pound means that buyers now receive the equivalent of a 40 per cent discount on prices, compared to the first quarter of 2015.” he explained.

Read more in the full article here.

The market is in a twilight zone

Featured in The Times!

In a new piece by Anne Ashworth this week, Black Brick Founder and Managing Partner, Camilla Dell shares her perspective on the current UK property market.

Read the article here.

Yes, you can buy near a top school

“One result of the property slowdown is lower prices close to good primaries”, writes Jessie Hewiston of The Times this week.

Sharing his insight as a top London buying agent for prime property, Black Brick partner Caspar Harvard-Walls featured in the article explaining how the slowing UK property market “will mean that people who want to sell a property within a traditional catchment area may struggle, so the catchment area may grow to take in streets that historically would never have had the chance of getting a place at the school”.

“This is good news for those parents and buyers, especially because properties outside the traditional catchment area are usually cheaper than those inside.”, he continued.

Read more in the full article here.