The Market
‘The short-term confidence outlook is negative’ as January chills – RICS
The RICS has confirmed what everyone else is seeing, reporting that the national and London markets are cooling right down with prices, enquiries and sales all tailing off in January.
Growth Chart: 2014’s house price hotspots
"House price growth in England and Wales over 2014 was most definitely a London and southern based phenomenon," says Hamptons as it identifies the best-performing postcodes for property prices growth…
Westminster’s development pipeline hits 3,000 units
Strutt & Parker has been making some interesting observations on PCL's new-build sales market.
Australia to curb foreign property investment ‘within weeks’
Australia will be unveiling plans to put the brakes on foreign investment into its resi property market "within weeks" in a bid to curtail soaring prices.
The rise of the seven-figure market: £1m+ deals triple in ten years
The number of £1m+ sales has shot up by 80% in London since 2006/7, helping the quantity of seven-figure deals across the country to probably breach its 2007 peak for the first time in 2014, notes Savills.
Flats and maisonettes lead PCL’s price growth – LCP
Prime central London has - "contrary to generally downbeat reports in 2014" - delivered the highest level of property price growth since the economic recovery properly kicked off in 2010, says an optimistic London…
Required Reading: Stamp Duty Reform and the Prime London Market
The long-criticised slab rate system for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) was abolished in the Autumn Statement in December 2014, seeking to bring fairness to property purchase costs and benefiting 98% of homebuyers.
Government outlines London’s short-term lettings shake-up
The government has been laying out its plans to ditch the "confusing" restrictions on short-terms lets in the capital.
Policy Statements of Intent: How the main pre-manifesto positions stack up
Housebuilding, property taxes and tenancy lengths in the private rented sector have been flagged up as the "bones of contention" in the major political parties' pre-election banter.
Savills Bahrain opens international resi sales suite
Savills has launched a dedicated resi sales offering in Bahrain for local residents keen to buy in the UK, Europe or the Americas.
Property investors ‘are going to have to work harder’ for high returns this year
While "the macro-economic story for the UK will remain benign" for the next year or so, prime residential property markets are in for a fairly subdued - but still positive - year, says Savills.
£250m Teddington Studios scheme sold to Singaporean developer
Just three months after planning was given to turn one of the UK's best-known film studios into a £250m resi scheme, a buyer has been found in the shape of a listed Singaporean developer with a billionaire…