Location: London

Buying off-plan has come a very long way since the days of crossed fingers and sums on the back of a ciggy packet, but it can still feel like taking a punt.

Pre-completion sales across the capital have reached record levels, according to CBRE, with three in five homes now sold before they are built.

Telly presenter-turned-developer Kevin McCloud has harnessed the power of the internet to raise a cool £1m and grow his Bristol-based property firm.

Although by no means the biggest data pool - the latest had just 315 contributors - the RICS Residential Market Survey carries more weight than most sentiment surveys.

Opening a historic home to the public is no tea party, discovers William Cash as he gets into hot water with the W.I. during a Wodehouse-worthy episode at Upton Cressett.

New stats from Savills show that a property investor could, if they picked the right areas, have turned £1m into £23m over the last 18 years.

Property search firm Garrington reckons there's some serious value for money to be had in the £2m-£3m bracket across London right now, as the stamp duty rise from 5% to 7% continues to distort the market.

Jones Lang LaSalle has strengthened its central London-based Resi Valuation team with a series of key promotions.

Help to Buy will push Greater London house prices up by 6.9% this year, annualised at a rate of 3.2% over the next five years, according to the Cluttons' latest tea leaves.

Investors around the world have a grand total of around £7bn to spend on residential property in the UK, and over £750 million has already been invested in the first half of this year, according to CBRE’s…

Here's a snappy marketing idea from the Ballymore Group...

Sir Laurie Magnus, an old Etonian investment banker, has been appointed Chairman of English Heritage by Culture Secretary Maria Miller.