Archive for August, 2008
Tenby resists the property bust
It’s hard to say what makes the biggest impression as you arrive in Tenby: the
dazzling sweep of the town’s North Beach curving round to a little
picture-book harbour by South Beach, the high medieval walls encircling the
old town lanes or simply the variety of colour on the buildings.
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Easy Roommate is like speed dating for flatmates
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here to see how the latest figures in buy-to-let mortgages
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Top 10 tips on keeping hold of your home
Double-digit increases in gas and electricity prices and rising fuel and food
costs are exacerbating the financial difficulties faced by homeowners with
mortgages. High inflation has reduced the likelihood of base rate cuts,
while the persistence of the credit crunch means that, even if the Bank of
England were to cut rates, there are no guarantees that mortgage lenders
would [...]
Market report on rectories
There’s something about a rectory that warms the cockles of an British heart.
Rectory-hunters make up about 80 per cent of the clientele at Knight Frank’s
country house department, according to its head, Rupert Sweeting. “If I ask
a prospective buyer to describe their perfect house, eight out of ten will
say a Georgian or Queen Anne rectory,” he [...]
Perfect interiors will help you let your property
In the Sixties, The Australian pub in Milner Street, Chelsea, was a meeting
place for miniskirted “dolly birds” with cut-glass accents and “debs’
delights”, young upper-class men kitted out in velvet flared trousers from
the boutiques of the nearby Kings Road.
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Homes with a view of Tower Bridge
It is a property truism that you pay for a view. Just how much depends on the
precise location from which you are viewing the view. The estate agent’s
creed of location, location, location has once again been upheld by the
variation in price among homes with views of Tower Bridge.
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Mortgage Clinic: Should I buy now or wait for the stamp duty suspension?
‘I’ve made an offer on a house, but friends say that if the Government
offers a temporary respite on stamp duty, I could save nearly £11,000 and
take out a smaller mortgage. Is it too much of gamble?’ TM, Milton Keynes,
by email
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Ways to secure a sale in hard times
Everyone knows the statistics by now: property prices have fallen almost 10 per cent in the past year and the market is at its quietest since the 1970s. More gloomy figures published on Tuesday by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) show an average of 192 buyers registered on estate agents’ books in July, [...]
Slight recovery in mortgage lending
Mortgage lending increased slightly during July but remained well down on the
level recorded a year ago, figures showed today.
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The Mortgage Clinic: ‘Which house price index should we trust?’
My partner and I are close to buying a property, but we’re very confused by the various housing indices reporting different price falls – some say we’re 10 per cent lower compared to last year yet others suggest between 6 and 8 per cent. One index suggested last week that prices in London had risen! [...]
