Blogs of author

Author Blog

Average house prices in seaside towns in the UK have increased by £500 per month since 2004 and five have seen prices more than double, according to new research from the Halifax.

The average rise of 42% over the last decade has taken the price in seaside locations to £196,826 with the most expensive in Salcombe and Sandbanks in the south west of England.

In Salcombe in Devon, an area of outstanding natural beauty, average prices increased to £615,344 and Sandbanks in Dorset they reached £574,089, making them the two most expensive seaside towns to buy in.

The research also shows that five

London is to become the world’s most expensive address with property prices set to hit £10,000 per square foot.

Research by property agents Beauchamp Estates has found that Knightsbridge remains London’s most expensive address, with top sales achieving values of over £7,000 per sqft. There have been 145 sales in Knightsbridge over the last 12 months with values averaging £2,212 per sqft and sales above £5m averaging £2,714 per sqft. 

At number two is Belgravia where top sales achieve values of £6,500 to £7,000 per sqft. There have been 140 sales in Belgravia over the last 12 months with values

As the housing market continues its recovery, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has released statistics about the home extensions which are most likely to add value to a property.

Research conducted as a part of NAEA’s latest monthly housing market report revealed that almost half of estate agents say adding an extra bedroom – usually by converting loft space – is the best way of adding value to a property.

While an additional bedroom fundamentally changes the description of a property, other less drastic changes can also have significant, positive effects on value, according to

HSBC's latest report reveals that rental yields in Reading and Brighton are the fastest growing in the UK as young professionals move out of London, but that Southampton is the number one opportunity for investors seeking rental income, with 8.73% yields available.

Dan Johnson of Themovechannel.com writes that returns have soared in Reading and Brighton by 12.8% and 12.6% respectively in the past year, but stand at 5.48% and 6.17%, far below those of Southampton.

The city’s standings is helped by the relatively inexpensive house prices, as well as strong rental demand driven by its position on

Loans to first-time buyers in Wales have risen by 30% compared to the same time last year, latest figures show.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders said the change was significant, and the figures suggested the upward trend would continue.

Overall lending for all types of buyers was up by 22% compared to the first quarter of 2013. The figures showed a fall compared to the last quarter of 2013 but were an "expected seasonal dip", the CML said.

The typical loan for first-time buyers in Wales was £98,000, significantly lower than the UK average of £118,750.

Peter Hughes, chair of CML Cymru, said:

Mayor Boris Johnson has backed plans for one of the biggest ever housing estate renewal scheme in London.

The regeneration project will see a complete overhaul of the housing estate in Hackney with more than 3,000 new homes built.

The Woodberry Down Estate dates back to the 1940s and has been in need of improvement for many years.

The first phase of regeneration started in 2005 when developer Berkeley Homes built 862 new homes, with a further 180 homes currently being built.

The green light has now been given to a further seven phases of the ‘Woodberry Down Masterplan’ which will see the

Thinking about selling up and want to know how much your property might be worth at auction? If so, why not send us a few details about your property, and one of our auctioneers will give you a ring, to chat further about your requirements.

Selling a property by auction is easier than many people think, and the prices that we achieve are usually higher than expected too. Our auction partners have sold more than 2,500 properties throughout the UK, over the past 12 months; that's more than any other auctioneer since, well since auctions started! This year the aim is to surpass 3000 sales!

So if

Five seaside towns in Aberdeenshire have recorded at least a doubling in house prices since 2004, a report by Halifax has found.

Fraserburgh experienced the biggest rise with a 141% increase - from an average price of jut over £53,600 in 2004 to more than £129,000 in 2014. Cove Bay, Peterhead, Inverbervie and Stonehaven saw the next biggest gains.

In the UK as a whole, house prices in seaside towns have risen by about £500 a month over the last decade.

But Halifax found that coastal living was still significantly cheaper than property prices across Britain generally.

Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in

A house whose previous owners are buried in the back garden has been snapped up in a well-heeled area of London for around three-quarters of a million pounds.

The four-bedroom property, which also needs completely refurbishing, is likely to be worth an estimated £1 million once it has been spruced up, according to estate agent Gascoigne Pees, which has had the task of selling the house.

The two former occupants of the house in Teddington, south west London, were thought to be artists and their last wishes were to be laid to rest in their large back garden.

The property, which is understood to

A bunker built to house Scottish Office staff in the event of a nuclear attack has been bought by a technology firm. The bunker at Cultybraggan Camp, near Comrie, has been sold to online service company Bogons Ltd for £150,000.

Built at the end of the Cold War but never used, the bunker was bought along with the wider camp by the Comrie Development Trust in 2007. The money raised in the sale will go towards paying off loans taken out to purchase the camp.

The bunker is thought to be the last of its kind built in Britain, having been completed in 1990 at a cost of £30m. It would have served as

Moving Home

UK Auction List works with our partner, Really Moving to provide everything you need for a stress-free move.

Conveyancing

Chartered surveyors

Removals