London international investment swamps prime property market

London prime property investmentA new study released by Hawker Beechcraft suggests that Emirate investors are the second largest group of foreign investors in London prime property after the Russians. The London international investment market has seen a large projected increase in prime property sales.

The report stated that “We sense there is more confidence coming out of the UAE as the economy stabilises,” said Black Brick, an estate agency, in a recent report. UAE investors are demonstrating “a renewed desire to hold a diversified international property portfolio rather than one overly concentrated on local new build development”. Read more of this post

Halloween haunted house – how to make it really spooky

Halloween haunted houseUsually we give you useful information regarding how to make your home cosy and more welcoming. Now it is time for some tips about converting your dwelling into really spooky place. So your Halloween guests can feel at home.

No one should be surprised by spider webs and bats hanging on the walls. Just remember the golden rule – too much of any good thing will kill you. And we don’t want that, even on Halloween.  So here are some tips about decorating your home for this special occasion. Read more of this post

Tourist rental property more popular than ever

Tourist rental propertyAccording to a new report, it has been suggested that incoming international tourists are favoring tourist rental properties to chain hotels. Although many visit on a short term basis, the financial advantage and availability of private rental property is a great benefit to the UK renting sector.

Many European nations are witnessing a large decrease in tourist numbers. However the United Kingdom is one of the only European countries to see a large increase in incoming tourists. A total of 7.8million tourists visited the UK in the second quarter of 2010. Same time this year in the year 2011, this number has increased by 7.4% to 8.3million states e1buytoletmortgages Read more of this post

London prime property market prices will rise in 2012

London prime propertyA new forecast released by the UK estate agent Knight Frank states the London prime property market will in the year 2012 further increase in value and price. Estimates indicate that prime properties in London will increase by an average of 5% in 2012 and by 2016 a total of 24% increase.

Head of Knight Franks research, Liam Bailey stated that “Prices in prime central London are currently at an all-time high, despite which we believe there is scope for further price gains over the next 12 months, averaging 5% across 2012.”

Further adding that “The reasons which have underpinned recent growth – a weak pound, renewed wealth-creation in emerging markets, the search for safe-haven assets and flight capital – all seem set to continue, at least in the short term, reinforcing our positive view for next year.” Read more of this post

Housing wealth gap increases in 2011

Property wealth gapAccording to a new study released by PrimeLocation, it suggests that the British housing wealth gap has dramatically increased throughout the past decade. High end properties have been increasingly rising in value while the rest of the market has witnessed a dramatic fall in prices and overall value.

The study indicates that the general property market has seen a steady but constant decrease of 0, 2% in property price in the month of September. At the moment the average UK house prices stands at £219,943. On the other hand prime properties have seen an increase in prices, especially in the month of September of 0, 5%. This average UK prime property price stands at a high £472,340. This is 115% higher than the average UK home, report mortgageintroducer. Read more of this post

Housing crisis – eight radical ideas about how to fix it

Housing crisis – eight radical ideas about how to fix itAs the housing crisis deepens, various solutions are being put forward, writes Tom de Castella from bbc.co.uk. On Tuesday IPPR – Institute for Public Policy Research published a report about the housing crisis and ways, some of them very radical, to provide new house buildings.

There are about 230 000 new households being created every year, but in 2010 there were only 134 000 new houses built in the country. This is the lowest number since the 2nd World War. IPPR warns, that if nothing changes we will be facing a housing deficit of 750 000 homes in England only by 2025. This situation is the hardest for young people. They can’t afford to buy or rent their own home so they’re forced to stay with their parents. According to a charity Shelter this refers to a fifth of 18-to34-year olds. Read more of this post

Million pound Scotland properties hit a record high

Scotland million pound propertiesA new property report indicated that the sale of million pound Scotland properties have hit a record high. The number of houses sold which a value of over one million pounds has increased dramatically since 2008. In comparison to 49 million pound properties sold in 2010, there has been an increase of 10% over the past year.

This has been a stark contrast to the 12% fall in UK residential housing sales. The million pound property market has clearly outperformed the majority market. However nonetheless this niche property segment of million pound properties made up on a small fraction of 0.2% of all property sales in Scotland in the first half of the year. Overall nationwide the million pound property sales make up a total of 1, 1% of all sales in the UK market. Read more of this post

Texture design at home

Texture design at homeThe previous topics that we have been discussing about were specifically lines and geometry.  But not only visual elements of an object play an important role in designing your home but also the way an object feels like – the texture which influences our perception of a room.

When talking about texture design, the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface is very important. In addition to visual elements like form, texture has the ability to add a whole new dimension to your room. In order to use this element wisely, here are some suggestions on how to work with texture.

The element of texture is often overlooked when used by professionals to make an impression on a space when decorating a home. There are two types of texture: rough and smooth. The texture has an effect on how the room feels for you. It is a tactile consideration. So if you see an object with a very rough surface, you automatically think about all the times when you touched a rough object. That means you already to know how it feels, even without touching it says easterncorner. If you did not like the way the object previously felt you might reject those textures unconsciously when decorating your home or feel uncomfortable in a room that uses a lot of these kinds of surfaces. Rough surfaces are for example: carpets, brick, timber, linen, furs, coire and sisal. Smooth surfaces can be glass, plastic, lacquer, paint finish, high gloss paint finish and vinyl upholstery. Read more of this post

Housing plan for brownfield in Edinburgh receives an award

Housing plan for brownfield in Edinburgh receives an awardThe housing plan for brownfield in Edinburgh, which aims to create sustainable housing and an active community urban village at an Edinburgh site, has won a prestigious national design award. A 31 year old, Michael Bryan is a Sustainable Community Design student at Heriot-Watt’s School of the Built Environment. He won the Integrated Habitat Design Competition Award 2011 for his project named ShrubhillWorks, which involves 122 affordable houses and facilities which will eventually turn the site into a ‘new hub of biodiversity’. Read more of this post

Student property investment market receives setback

Student property investmentIn light of the increasing tuition fees leading UK banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays have decided to give reduced amounts of money to student property investors interested in the student property market. Reasons behind this move included the rise of 9,000 pound tuition fees meaning that the student housing market will be adversely affected as less people decide to study.

Nonetheless the development in the student housing sector has been somewhat dramatic and positive in the coming years. In the first three quarters of 2011 alone there has been a total investment of 750million pounds, in comparison to 350 million pounds in 2009, states Reuter.

Although not all banks have reduced and cut down on lending to student developers, Royal Bank of Scotland head of education sector, Steward Ward stated that “We expect some cities, especially those with an over-concentration of student housing, and some universities to be hit by next year’s rise in tuition fees,” Read more of this post

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