The family reunion
Open-plan living has caught the imagination of the British public. But are traditional homes with separate kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms really so bad? Mandy Chody, from M&Y Interiors, a...
View ArticleSurprised by a cash cow?
If you are down-sizing or re-designing, you may find yourself with some furniture to sell. Do some research if it is in good condition or you suspect it might be valuable, especially if it's from a...
View ArticleBest seats for summer sports fans
For once, amazingly Wimbledon didn't open to rain this year and the fact that both the tennis and the World Cup coincided with a heatwave was a wake-up call to garden-owners who found themselves...
View ArticleIt's all coming back to me now
It's back to the future this summer. Retro designs abound, many by famous brands which have recreated their original designs or "reimagined" best-selling products from their past as a 150th-anniversary...
View ArticleTasty trends for dining rooms
The 21st-century home can be filled with gadgets. Electronically operated cupboards that close soundlessly and ovens with controls based on the iPhone; a television built into the foot of the bed,...
View ArticleDemand takes off - and so do the prices
How good is it? If you are a property developer, the answer is very good. If you are an estate agent, the answer is - often as not - even better. In fact, if estate agency sales are one sign of a good...
View ArticleElection prospects cast no shadow
As the election campaigns hot up, the property market should be cooling down. But with all the party leaders showing warmth towards property development, the real estate industry has plenty to look...
View ArticleElection result boosts the market
With the Conservatives back in, property buyers are back out. With renewed confidence in the market and the threat of the mansion tax receding, estate agents agree that now is a good time to sell a...
View ArticleAuctions: what next?
The next round of property auctions is happening now - and they will be popular, if the spring series is anything to go by. Andrew Scott Robertson raised more than £14.1 million from its second auction...
View ArticleSpirits high in post-election market
Allsop broke records at its May residential auction, raising £90 million with 81 per cent of the 285 lots offered sold. This is the UK's biggest single-day residential auction, beating the previous...
View ArticleAuctions buoyant, dinghy included
Andrew Scott Robertson posted record-breaking results in its June sale - but the firm has demerged its auction department, which will go back to being called Andrews & Robertson. The auction team...
View ArticleHotspot for high-flyers
Where do the super-wealthy like to go? The Caribbean. That's the conclusion of a new report by Wealth-X, which monitors the super-rich. The Caribbean ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) population increased by...
View ArticleOffices are an asset at auction
Office assets were in strong demand at the July Acuitus auction, which raised £48.68 million and obtained an overall success rate of 90 per cent. The 43,468-sq-ft United House in York, which has...
View ArticleViews from the penthouse
London remains attractive for the world's billionaires, but estate agents would like to see more done to attract them. Agents for property in the £10 million-plus bracket are reacting to the budget...
View ArticleSupport for homes under £500,000
You cannot really fault members of the government for helping first-time buyers. First there was Help To Buy. Now there are development zones, which are an easy first place to look for what are now...
View ArticleFamous homes in north London with many stories
Buyers' appetite for expensive homes in north London is being well fed by developers. From single houses to larger schemes, Hampstead and Highgate both have much to offer. In these artistic locations,...
View ArticleBespoke property: Think of a home, then build it
The money markets may be wobbling but developers report a boom in building bespoke properties. They provide the site and the builder and they work with the purchaser on the design. Buyers get the house...
View ArticleHome of 'the father of plastic surgery' for sale
The Hampstead home of Sir Harold Delf Gillies, one of the fathers of plastic surgery, is for sale at nearly £20 million. Number 71 Frognal (below) is a 6,000 sq ft, 10-bedroom Victorian house set in...
View ArticleBuy first, build later: what's the deal?
Off-plan sales are a sign of a strong market and a delight for developers. Buyers commit to pay bricks-and-mortar prices for what is still a piece of paper. They are tough to achieve, however....
View ArticleCommercial sites are big business
Investors are clamouring for commercial property. The autumn round of commercial auctions showed strong demand for shops, offices and industrial units producing an income.The October Acuitus auction...
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