Boris Johnson is considering introducing a mansion tax for high value homes according to a Sunday newspaper. The Telegraph – citing two separate but unnamed sources – says the measure is being considered as a way of helping pay for large scale infrastructure improvements, primarily in the north of England.… Read More »Mansion Tax on high value houses being considered by government
New research suggests the internet and broadband coverage have become even more important to buyers and tenants. The study – involving 228 housing professionals and 2,000 homeowners or renters – shows that 86 per cent of the public claim having a decent connection in their property is important and 64… Read More »Broadband seen as ‘4th utility’ by buyers and agents
Agents “dread” buyers’ questions on value, asking prices and nearby new development according to a survey. Some 50 agents and over 1,500 owners who had purchased in the past three years were questioned by interiors firm Hillarys over their dealings with estate agents. The questions the agents apparently dreaded most… Read More »Buyers’ questions on value and price ‘dreaded’ by agents
Suddenly Brexit Day is nearly here. It may have taken three and a half years from the Referendum but the UK will, within days, be outside of the EU. Whatever one’s views, and whether or not that is a cause for celebration, there is substantial work to be done by… Read More »Brexit challenges for agents and the property industry
An estate agent has set up his own buying operation because he claims the quality of service for high-end buyers has “dwindled” in recent years. Matthew Jackson, a former head of new homes and investment at London-focussed agency Chestertons, has now set up Oakmont Private Office. He is damning in… Read More »Quality of agency service for high-end buyers has “dwindled” – claim
A leading property lawyer is urging sellers not to use online agents because to do so would be “a gamble”. Gillian Wright – the legal director of Scottish law firm Gillespie Macandrew – writes in The Scotsman newspaper that those who resolved to start 2020 by moving house may not… Read More »Don’t use an online agent! Lawyer makes warning to sellers
Some buying agents have batted away the many signs of an improving housing market but one says the Boris Bounce is likely to create a huge boost for prime London. Fraser Slater, chief executive of buying agency Ludgrove, says: “With a vastly improved political backdrop, the threat of a hard-left… Read More »Prices up! Transactions up! Agent forecasts a boom in 2020
The increasing demand for information on Japanese Knotweed during the house buying process is emphasising the need for householders to pay more attention to the problem, it is claimed. Mortgage lenders now require the sellers of properties affected by knotweed to provide evidence of a professional treatment plan along with… Read More »Conveyancing call for Knotweed info shows need for treatment – claim
Data from HM Revenue & Customs shows tax receipts from stamp duty fell a further 5.2 per cent between 2018 and 2019, part of a broad decline in income since late 2016. The figures have prompted a demand by Jackson-Stops’ chairman Nick Leeming that the government wake up to the… Read More »Stamp duty receipts down again – agency demands government action
The high-end estate agent who has quit his post after being found to have posted pictures of clients’ houses on Instagram has been named. Last week The Times made reference to speculation that an agency was being sued by clients upset at seeing images of their properties on an individual… Read More »Revealed – the agent posting Instagram pictures of clients’ houses
