Portal launched to challenge Rightmove
Seven big London estate agents are trying to rival the dominance of Rightmove, the property website, by launching their own portal. The company, called Agents’ Mutual, will be wholly owned…
IMF adds to ‘Help to Buy’ critics
The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday criticised the government’s “Help to Buy” scheme, adding a powerful voice to the growing chorus of concern that the ambitious mortgage plan could do…
Nationwide’s market share at record level
Nationwide has increased its share of the British mortgage market to a record level, helped by government-funded programmes to support housebuyers, such as the Bank of England’s Funding for Lending…
West End landlords post strong numbers
Great Portland Estates and Shaftesbury, two of the UK’s largest landlords, reported strong results on Wednesday, underlining the ascent of the West End as London’s best performing property market. The…
Fugitive Kazakh banker’s homes for sale
The trophy properties have every conceivable luxury a house-hunting billionaire could desire – a 50ft ballroom, a catering kitchen fitted for banquets, a 12-person Turkish bath, carp and trout lakes,…
US farmland faces asset bubble test
©AFP A century ago, US farmland real estate enjoyed a huge boom. Interest rates were low. Grain prices were high. The world’s appetite for agricultural exports seemed endless. Now, as…
China property boom not abating
©Reuters At the end of March, China’s newly installed premier Li Keqiang publicly reiterated the government’s determination to rein in rising property prices and a resurgent investment binge in the…
Heron Tower offered £250m Sternlicht loan
©Bloomberg One of the US’s richest property investors has stepped in to provide a loan to refinance the tallest skyscraper in the City of London in a £250m deal underlining…
Self-build property support ‘not enough’
The government’s initiatives to boost the self-build property sector in the UK are not enough to make it a mainstream option, a report says. Building your own home remains a…
Student pod return pledges under fire
Student pods – the latest buy-to-let vogue, where investors buy a single room in a development – have been attacked for failing to deliver promised double-digit returns. Attracted by guaranteed…
Build it yourself – the market moves on
©Charlie Bibby Self-build. The phrase conjures images of affluent older people with overambitious projects that drag on for months and go hopelessly over budget. While this is a stereotype inspired…
Qatar buys into Milan property project
Qatar Holding and property group Hines have taken a stake in a high-end real estate development in Milan, underlining the Gulf state’s strategy of diversifying from hydrocarbons. The Porta Nuova…
US farmland prices draw bubble talk
©Bloomberg Farmland prices in the US corn belt have risen at double-digit clip this year despite weaker grain markets in a move that will intensify debate over whether loose monetary…
NY business frets over change of mayor
©Pascal Perich Michael Bloomberg New York property developers and other business leaders say they are concerned about how the city’s business climate will change once Michael Bloomberg steps down as…
Top RSA shareholder criticises board
A top-10 shareholder in RSA has publicly rebuked directors of the FTSE 100 insurer, criticising allegedly close ties with the firms that scrutinise the company’s accounts as well as their…