The foodie revolution continues in London

Which are the best neighbourhoods in London for the best food? Black Brick buying agent, Tom Kain discusses his thoughts in a new piece for The Times.

Recommending Brixton and Bermondsey, Tom shared how “These are good examples of areas that have rapidly become more gentrified.”

“A large part of the gentrification is fuelled by the food markets. Many young professionals and families relish the pop-up foodie outlets found in Brixton Village and Maltby Street Market in Bermondsey. It certainly is a draw card.” he continued.

Read the full article here.

The fixed-upper is fashionable again

There’s a growing number of buyers looking for properties that they can give a complete makeover to.

In a new piece for The Times, Black Brick buying agent, Camilla Dell shares why “faded glories” present fantastic opportunities for buyers to make a profit off of flipping.

“We recently sourced a property in Marylebone [northwest London] for a client that was for sale at £1,200 a square foot,” she said. “The buyer needed to spend £300 a square foot renovating it. However, when complete it will be worth upwards of £1,800 a square foot, making it a great deal.”

Read the full article here.

How to negotiate with estate agents

Whether you’re buying or selling, dealing with estate agents can be testing, to say the least!

In this new article for The Times, we share our tip tips for negotiating with estate agents, drawing on our 20+ years expertise as a top London buying agency.

“Rather than pay a multiple fee of 3% shared between them, no matter who finds the buyer, we adopt a winner-takes-all approach,” our Founder, Camilla Dell said. “Saying up front that you’ll pay 2% or 2.5% to the agent who comes up trumps with a purchaser — and nothing to the ones who fail.”

Read the full article here.

Mum and Dad rent a different class of digs

In some areas of London, it’s been reported that parents are paying almost 100 times more than the average £88 a week for their children’s student accommodation.

So why is this case? Is it Brexit? Is it the economy in general? Black Brick’s London Buying Agents have lent their insights to The Times this week in the article on the topic.

Read it here.

Four beds good, five beds bad

People might often assume that a five bedroom house would be more sought-after than a four-bedroom one…

In a new piece for The Times this week, Black Brick’s Founder, Camilla Dell offered her perspective on why homes with three to four bedrooms and additional storage rooms are better than houses with five or six crammed in bedrooms.

Read the article here.

Strategies to survive a price slowdown

With the UK property market expected to fall in the next few weeks, a new article in The Times shares top tips and advice on how property searchers should navigate it.

Adding our insight as a top London buying agency, Black Brick’s Founder Camilla Dell advised:

“Try to avoid flats higher than the first or second floor without a lift, ground and lower-ground floor flats, which suffer from damp or low levels of light, and properties far from public transport and shops.”

Read the article here.

Why the Russians want Mayfair

Super-rich Russians are back buying up luxury property in Mayfair and central London. But why?

In a new piece for The Times this week, Black Brick Founder and top London buying agent, Camilla Dell shared her perspective on why Russians are increasingly looking to invest in prime central London property.

“[Black Brick buying agency] has had a 22 per cent increase in the number of Russians buying in central London this year compared with last.”, Camilla revealed.

“The Russians have been our biggest spenders, paying an average of £18.5 million for their properties. They have been buying homes in prime central London, with a preference for Mayfair and Kensington. Their reasons for buying are relocating to London for family, better quality of life, safety and education. Brexit has not been a factor, although currency has,” she said.

Yes, you can have a ‘glam room’ like Melania

Homes with a dedicated room for doing makeup, nails and getting dressed are increasingly becoming a must-have for high-end property buyers in the UK.

Discussing this latest trend in the market for a new piece in The Times, our Founder and Managing Partner, Camilla Dell shared her thoughts as top London buying agent for super-prime property.

“[I have] viewed homes with not only glam rooms, but glam suites, where a separate lounge area containing a minibar and TV is located off a dressing room, so all the girls can discuss and debate outfits”, she revealed.

Read the full article here.

Ten places where house prices are set to rise

Some UK neighbourhoods seem to be “defying a downbeat Brexit market”, a new article in The Times this week has revealed.

Offering our perspective as a top London buying agency for luxury property, Black Brick’s Founder, Camilla Dell shared her thoughts on which regions’ house prices are due to rise.

“With 10,000 new homes, 5,000 more on the cards and the possibility of a Crossrail 2 station, [Tottenham Hale, north London] is the London suburb du jour”, she said.

Read the full article 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.