The Market
Cash Mob: Two out of five deals go to cash buyers – Hamptons
Across England and Wales, cash buyers accounted for two of every five transactions; a total of £420,000 cash deals were done in the year to March, with a combined value of £110bn.
Local councils forced to spend £450m ‘topping up’ planning fees
Stretched planning departments have had to be "topped up" to the tune of £450m over the last three years to cover the cost of processing planning applications, a new study has found.
Transaction slump deals a blow to Countrywide’s profits
Countrywide has reported an 11% yearly fall in pre-tax profits in the nine months to September, after the anticipated post-election recovery in transaction volumes "failed to materialise in any significant…
Engine rooms of South East and East leading UK house price growth
House prices in Greater London will end the year up 5.1% on an annual basis, Strutt & Parker has predicted, a rate of growth outstripped by the East of England (7.1%), the South East (5.
30% fewer buyers in PCL as price growth drops to six-year low
The number of new prospective buyers in prime central London was -30% down in the three months to September compared to the same period in 2014, says Knight Frank, as prices and transaction levels fall…
Prime central London rents drop as tenancies slide by 12%
The number of prime central London tenancies agreed in September was 12% lower than the same month in 2014, reports Knight Frank, as rental values dropped by 0.5% in October.
Steady five years ahead for the UK market; ‘uneasy’ PCL to rebound in 2018 – JLL
A strong and stable domestic economy will underpin the UK housing market over the next five years, says JLL in its latest batch of forecasts, while London looks set to come under increasing pressure.
Digging Deep: Buyer bids £150k for unexcavated basement
A buyer has just shelled out £150k at auction for an unexcavated basement in London's Bloomsbury.
Apprentice star’s agency opens fourth office in four years
Jamie Lester's Haus Properties is launching another office in leafy Fulham, taking its tally of branches in the capital to four.
RBKC serves record number of stop notices
The Royal Borough's planning enforcement team is one of the most active in the UK, according to new figures released by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Is this the West End’s ultimate fixer-upper?
A project on Charles Street with a particularly colourful past is being billed as "the West End's ultimate fixer upper opportunity".
The first floor apartment at Number 6 is being offered up at £1.
Vendors bearing the brunt of extra stamp duty costs – LonRes
With 83% of agents in its autumn survey reporting that changes to stamp duty have had a detrimental effect on their local markets, and a net balance of respondents noting falling levels of activity…