Finance
96% of borrowers went fixed rate in Feb
96% of mortgages applied for in February were for fixed rate set-ups - a record high proportion - according to stats from independent broker the Mortgage Advice Bureau.
A Tale of 300 Cities: JLL launches global city comparison site
"The old order has gone," proclaims JLL. "Whereas 10 years ago there were 100 cities on the investor’s radar, now there are 300, and over 600 routinely enquired about by corporates.
Niche development finance firm launches in Surrey
A new development finance provider, catering specifically for developers of top end residences in the most expensive bits of Surrey, has just opened its doors in Leatherhead.
Harry Turnball
S106 could be scrapped for small developers and self-builders
"There are too many levies and charges on housing," said Eric Pickles as he outlined the Government's plans to get rid of Section 106 affordable housing payments for developments of fewer than ten resi…
“Quantum leap” of Chinese buyers into global gateway cities expected
Property market cooling measures across Asia are driving a new wave of investors overseas, says Andrew Batt from Singapore.
Agent Concern: The unintended consequence of the Chancellor’s pension revolution
Estate agents are likely to become the guardians of people’s pension pots, says Ed Mead. So will the Government decide who can and can’t handle this? And will regulation follow?
Islamic investment “has become a financial powerhouse in the UK”
Sharia investment is booming around the world but the UK's 10,000 Muslim millionaires "are still limited in their options," says prime central London property investment house LCP.
Concordats & All That: MIPIM afterthoughts
Thank goodness BoJo's concordat is nothing more than a gentleman's understanding, says Trevor Abrahmsohn...
Required Reading: Budget2014 property tax implications
Mischon de Reya's learned tax team examines the real estate-related fallout from Osbo's Big Day...
It's fair to say George Osborne's penultimate Budget of the current term was much as expected.
Budget2014: Osborne & little change for prime property
Chancellor George has extended the 15% SDLT rate for residential property bought through a corporate envelope from £2m all the way to £500,000, in a move that looks to be aimed squarely at cutting the…
Budget2014: Reactions
There's a definite sense of anti-climax around these parts, even though no-one was expecting much to start with. Here's what the prime resi community thinks of today's Budget announcements...
Peer-to-peer lender launches tranched mortgages
LendInvest, the peer-to-peer mortgage lending platform, has announced that it has completed a "world-first" tranched peer-to-peer mortgage.
The loan was for £365, 250 against a property in Croydon.