The Market
2014 to remain a sellers’ market – Hamptons International
350,000 properties were bought outright with cash in 2013 across England & Wales, according to some new stats released today. That's the highest number since 2007.
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…
Countryside “under siege” from NPPF – CPRE
"The countryside surrounding towns and villages across England is under siege" as local councils are forced to accept major developments against their will, warns a new report from the Campaign to Protect…
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.
The (relative) fall of London’s £10m+ market
House prices across the UK rose by 0.6% in February, taking the annual rise to 9.4% says Knight Frank (using Nationwide's data).
In London, prices rose for the 40th month in a row. February's 0.
London’s planning slowdown should be of concern – JLL
Developers may be "exceptionally keen" to get on site, but how much of this enthusiasm is translating into completions? JLL takes the temperature of London's development market...
Prime London rents nudge up; “strong growth” on the cards
Rents in prime London nudged up by the smallest of margins - +0.1% - in Q1, according to Savills.
But that's still an improvement on last year's gentle decline; rents are now -0.
Homeowner sentiment up for 12th month in a row
That's 12 in a row for Knight Frank and Markit's House Price Sentiment Survey; the Index has risen again to hit another record high in March.
La Vida Local: Neighbourhood Planning’s southern appeal
Localism - a cornerstone of the Government's planning reformation - is big in the affluent South, but lacks traction in the rest of the country according to research by Turley.
2013’s Top PCL Performers: Big houses in SW7 & small flats in W1
Values across prime central London have increased by 8.7% over the last 12 months, according to acquisition firm Huntly Hooper, with W14 seeing the biggest price per square foot boost of all.
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.