Business
Rising costs hit housebuilder’s margins
Taylor Wimpey expects build costs to escalate by 5% this year
Property marketing firm buys online estate agency easyProperty
Hampshire firm Evolve has acquired online estate agency easyProperty from the parent company of Fine & Country, with support from Sir Stelios
LSL branch closures boost profits
But London's 'challenging' market squashed Marsh & Parsons' profits in the first six months of the year
Grosvenor Britain & Ireland names new non-exec chairman
Veteran investor Jonathan Bond succeeds Graham Pimlott on the GBI board, and will take over the chairmanship at the end of the year
Planning consultancy moves into Edinburgh
Iceni Projects has launched a fourth UK office
The Sunday Times: Peter Long’s struggle to save Countrywide
Liam Kelly reports for The Sunday Times on the Countrywide chairman's efforts to turn the UK's largest estate agency chain around and 'salvage his battered reputation'
Sales still sliding for Foxtons as market woes continue
Volumes are 'very low' in the capital's sales market, reports the embattled estate agency, describing lettings as the 'priority'...
Rightmove’s revenue & profits jump 10%, but agency numbers dip
3% fewer estate agents are listing properties on Rightmove compared to last year - but they are spending more
Rightmove buys tenant referencing firm to boost rental market offering
Property portal makes a £20m acquisition to 'augment' its Tenant Passport project
The average estate agency’s sales commission is 1.2%
But there's a pretty broad range between different regions. Agents in five postcodes manage to bag fees in excess of £30,000 per property sale
Capco outlines Earls Court & Covent Garden demerger plan
Capital & Counties wants to create two independent business, both listed on the Stock Exchange: Covent Garden London and EC Properties
Revenues rise for Chestertons despite market gloom
33-branch London agency reports a 'stellar' H1, with a strong lettings performance driving a 6% boost in overall revenue