The London Property Market Blog

Our latest quarterly London Property Monitor has just hit the streets and it showed some particularly interesting trends in the market. Firstly, I’ll bet most people still think that Prime Central London (PCL) is outpacing all other parts of the market? Well, you’d be wrong. Our data shows that for the past year, ‘outer prime’ or 'Non-Central Prime London' as we call it, has been appreciating at a faster pace than PCL and that continued into the first quarter of 2013.* I think there are a few reasons for this; buyers looking for better value, the relative absence of sales over £2million due to the bedding in of the new 7% stamp duty, investors looking for a better rental return and good capital appreciation, and possibly, the still chronic shortage of properties to sell in all parts of London. In my view, as central London has taken a comparative breather for the past year or so, there is a strong argument that it has got a bit of catching up to do as the differentials come closer together - and we may see PCL surge ahead again later in the year.

Read More »

My latest video blog gives a very brief overview of the ups and downs of the London property market in 2012. Now in 2013, with the distractions of a busy year for London out of the way, and tax uncertainties clarified, the property market is ready to move on. All of our London offices have had a busy start to the year, with buyers looking across all prices ranges, including the £2million plus market. The Buy-to-Let market remains strong with investors from all over the globe seeking to own London property. And despite the increased supply of rental property, the continued strong demand, particularly in less prime areas of London, is sustaining premium rental prices.

For a more detailed breakdown of the London property market in 2012, you can visit our research section of the website here. Data for the last quarter of 2012 is now available here.

Read More »

Every week I look forward to meeting with all the teams, to get a first–hand, ‘live’ update on what’s happening in the lettings market.  At different times of year there are established patterns which seldom change - for example July, August and September are always the busiest months followed by a general slowdown in the run up to Christmas. What I find especially fascinating, is when I witness a new trend taking hold, especially with regards to the profile of a typical landlord.

Something that is becoming increasingly prevalent is first and second time homeowners choosing to hold onto their existing properties rather than sell.  Certainly, if the sales market was performing poorly this would be understandable, however it is not; demand continues to be strong and prices are high, so what is causing this shift?

Read More »

I always knew the Olympics would be the greatest ever marketing campaign for London however; the positivity and general goodwill that has flowed from the Games has been extraordinary and far surpassed anything I expected.

London has been a spectacular sight to behold and with hundreds of millions of people from all over the globe seeing our fantastic city as a backdrop to the Games, it can only be positive for London as a destination to invest in bricks & mortar. I was concerned that there would be gridlock on the streets of London however, if anything, the roads have been quieter than usual (and it’s usually pretty quiet at this time of year) and getting around London to show our clients’ properties has been a breeze.

Read More »