No more technology overload
‘Buyers do still want some tech,’ says Charles Thompson of the Thackeray Estate, but less of the ridiculously complicated wired-in speaker systems. Marc Schneiderman of Arlington Residential agrees, adding that ‘zoned mood lighting has fallen out of favour’.
Quality always stands out, though, asTim Hassell of Draker Lettings says" ‘It’s considered by many to be much more stylish to use a simple, good-quality light switch made out of a beautiful material, rather than a phone app that turns your lightbulbs pink.'
More and more people still want to buy in London, no matter what
Brexit be damned. Nothing can stop demand for London property. Knight Frank reports a 12.5% increase in prospective new buyers in the third quarter of 2018 compared to 2017 and a 31% rise in prime central and prime outer London since January 2016. However, they’re cautious; the number of viewings undertaken before an offer was made has risen to its highest level in more than five years.
More skyscrapers
The skyline is edging Manhattan-wards. Within the next decade a dense knot of skyscrapers will emerge, with 510 tall towers currently in the pipeline. This year, we can expect completion of the tallest residential building in Europe: the Landmark Pinnacle, E14. The 1,000ft Tulip, a viewing platform by Foster + Partners that's set to be the tallest building in the City, is awaiting approval.
Growth around the corner
Heightened uncertainty around Brexit will delay recovery in the prime central London housing market for up to two years, predicts Savills. But it won't last long: there will be a bounce back in 2021, the firm suggest, with a total growth of 12.4% over the next five years.
Fewer Saturday viewings
Why trek around when you can enjoy a virtual 3D tour? ‘This enables a buyer to walk around a property from anywhere in the world with a computer, tablet or phone,’ explains Will Watson of Middleton Advisors.
Vanessa Hale of Strutt & Parker goes even further, saying that called 'Holoportation' is the future, enabling ‘a walk through and a conversation with a virtual agent in real time. This technology will allow anyone to interact in a 3D computer-generated environment with a virtual-reality headset.’
Everyone will want a nanny flat
‘The most popular houses on the market in 2019 will be those with outbuildings, perfect for nannies, mothers-in-law, guests or au pairs,’ says Dominic Spencer Churchill of DS Churchill. ‘They even provide the opportunity for Airbnb income or a home office. Homes with this sort of extra space will sell fast.’
Life, health and property will go hand in hand
The trend for renovating properties with health and well-being at their core is on the rise, according to Maison Communications. Many London builders are calling in experts to achieve this, such as design consultancy Ekkist. The firm recently worked on Ori House, a blueprint focused on enhancing your wellbeing that can be built anywhere you like. It's the first in the UK to meet both the Passivhaus standard for low energy and low carbon footprint and the WELL Building Standard.
The startling gentrification of Nine Elms
15 years ago, this part of London was still dominated by railway arches and warehouses. Things are different now, and three exciting tenants are moving into one of the biggest new developments, Embassy Gardens – a gallery, beauty salon and Cyclebar.
Along with the Sky Pool (a glass-bottomed swimming pool 115ft up above the city), restaurants, boutiques and the US Embassy, this part of the city hardly really needs two new Tube stops to bring people in, but it’s getting them anyway in 2020. They’ll come in handy for the 1,400 Apple employees moving into Battersea Power Station. All this will have ‘significant impact on demand’ for the area, says Jackson-Stops’s Georgina Clarke.
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Credit: Strutt & Parker
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Only a handful of Britain's great houses were photographed by Country Life in a ruinous state. This once splendid Gothic castle is one of themThis is the tragic tale of Tong Castle, a once great Georgian-Gothic castle that was eventually consumed by Nature.
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What is everyone talking about this week: The great generational wealth transfer foretold by the financial press has already begun in the form of given heirloomsIf you're planning to propose to someone forget Graff or Cartier because it's time for tea with Granny.
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18 grand country homes, from £600k to £6 million, as seen in Country LifeOur regular look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week include a house in a charming seaside village and a 17th century farmhouse.
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Caveat renovator: The TV star, the writer and the salvation of a crumbling farmhouseThe actor, writer and comedian Robert Webb and his comedy writer wife Abigail Burdess embarked on a renovation project in 2019 which became far more than they imagined — and just as the job is at last complete, they've decided that it's the right time to put house on the market.
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An Alpine hideaway on a Swiss mountaintop that's like something from the pages of a Gothic novelA wonderful Baroque castle set amid gardens and woodland is for sale in one of Switzerland's most beautiful areas.
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The beautiful part of Britain where £1 million still buys a grand period house and a swathe of unspoilt landThe Scottish Borders might just be the best value spot in Britain today, as Arabella Youens reports.
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A beautiful old farmhouse in 15 acres of breathtaking Scottish scenery, for sale at just £825,000A wonderful country home with almost 15 acres of land has come up for sale at a price which will make urban dwellers question their life choices.
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A country house that was the set for one of the best-loved sitcoms of the 1980s is for sale, with 40,000sq ft of space, 39 bedrooms and almost endless potentialLynford Hall, a vast neo-Jacobean house that's been everything from a country hotel to an agricultural college, has come to the market. Toby Keel tells its story.
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A sprawling castle set amid ancient woodland has come to the market for the first time in 150 yearsGyrn Castle, set amidst woodland on the outskirts of an ancient village, is now seeking new owners. Penny Churchill reports.
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A Tudor Revival home built by a Victorian adventurer, with beauty, grandeur and its own putting greenFulford Hall is an idyllic country home, yet is situated less than a dozen miles from Birmingham. Penny Churchill tells more.
