Charles Curran: Forget the hype, this is reality
Boutique estate agency boss (and former private equity banker) rails against misplaced optimism - calling for honesty, realism and tough love in today’s Prime Central London market.
Prior to setting up Conster Capital Ventures, the parent company of Maskells Estate Agents, Charles held senior positions at Bear Stearns, Bank of Scotland and Societe Generale where he specialized in Mortgage Backed Securities (Residential and Commercial), Asset Backed Securities and Structured Credit. Charles assists the teams with market data analysis, asset valuations and deals with the company’s financial institution clients. Charles also looks after White Circle Collection (www.whitecirclecollection.com), the multi-family office sister company to Maskells. Charles is bilingual French.
‘This could be the moment to act for global investors’: Evaluating the UK’s prime residential markets in an era of uncertainty
Middleton Advisors & Yolande Barnes explain why the stage is set for a renewed influx of overseas investment in PCL & country markets.
Reality bites in Prime Central London as buyers step back & sellers cut prices
Recent tax changes have led to falling sales and downward price pressure across the capital's top postcodes, reports Knight Frank.
Prime London sales market ‘bursts into life’ with best October since 2013
LonRes reports 'substantial turnaround' as transactions jump 55% year-on-year, while a significant rise in under offer numbers bodes well for Q4.
Companies in this article
MaskellsMost read
IWD2026: Prime resi industry leaders on the moments that changed everything
To mark International Women’s Day, senior figures from across the sector reflect on the decisions, risks & pivots that shaped their lives & careers - from ‘sliding doors’ moments to leaps of faith.
High-profile private members club seeks Branded Residences Director
Soho House reveals it is 'launching a new Branded Residences vertical.'
By PrimeResi
Tom Bill: How the Middle East conflict could affect the UK housing market
Rising energy prices and shifting rate expectations could reshape mortgage costs and buyer sentiment, explains Knight Frank’s head of UK resi research.
By Tom Bill
Super-prime rental deals surge in London
£5,000-per-week-plus tenancies up 8% year-on-year as internationally mobile tenants prioritise flexibility.
Rupert des Forges: ‘London is becoming a dip-in, dip-out city for the super-rich’
'The capital might not be [UHNWI's] full-time base any more,' says Knight Frank veteran, 'but it is still an anchor for social & business life.'
By PrimeResi
Banking heavyweight flags postcode divergence across Prime London market
Buying conditions are ‘favourable’, says Investec, as analysis points to opportunity across three key districts.
Top-end country agency lines up £80mn of stock as selling season starts early
The Private Office founder Trevor Kearney cites 'quiet confidence' as some very high-end Surrey residences are brought to market.
D&G adds new central London partner
Lettings specialist Sharlotte Cooper previously ranked among Hamptons’ top performers.
Big-brand agency franchise in PCL goes up for sale
Winkworth is seeking an 'entrepreneurial property expert' to take over the established hub in one of the capital’s top HNW hotspots.
These three buyer profiles are driving Prime London demand in 2026
Tenants, repatriates and pied-à-terre buyers have come to the fore as hefty transaction costs stall traditional upsizers, reports Eccord's Jo Eccles.
By Jo Eccles
LATEST ARTICLES
Strutt & Parker recruits estates & farms head from Savills
Louise Harrison is now head of Strutt's London-based National Estates & Farm Agency team.
By PrimeResi
New public register set to ‘expose secret land deals’
Government says new transparency regulations for property developers 'will help SME builders identify genuinely available sites sooner and compete more fairly in the land market.'
By PrimeResi
£79bn wiped off value of UK private rental sector since 2022
The buy-to-let boom that began in the late 1990s may now be hitting a 'landmark moment of contraction' as tax changes and red tape bite.
Interview: Michael S. Liebowitz on Douglas Elliman’s global push – and what brokers need to know about today’s UHNW clients
The US brokerage chief on what American and European markets can learn from each other, choosing the right local partners and London’s role as a global hub.
Ranked: Britain’s most expensive streets in 2026
Rightmove's analysis is based on asking prices, and only includes addresses with at least five open-market listings in January.
By PrimeResi