The cost of a home in Britain's biggest cities leapt to the highest quarterly level in 11 years, new findings reveal. With demand continuing to outstrip supply, house prices in major cities increased by 4.3 per cent to an average of £227,100 in the three months to July, Hometrack said.
From seagulls to wasps, don't get stung by pests: How to deal with a home menace - and what insurance covers
A plague of pests is descending on homes this summer - wreaking havoc and expensive damage on those who fail to fight back. Due to a mild early summer there has been an explosion of wasps over the past few weeks that have been gatecrashing picnics and causing a nuisance at home barbecues and in pub gardens.
Homes up £12,000 in a year as lack of property for sale pushes up prices - and agent forecasts an 18% rise by 2019
House prices rose by £1,000 a month over the past year with the East of England recording the biggest gains, according to new official figures. Property inflation in the East of England hit 9.2 per cent in June, the ONS house price index reported, with the next largest annual gains seen in Northern Ireland, at 9 per cent, and the South East, at 7.7 per cent.
What's in an address? Properties with 'lane' in the title are typically £100k more expensive than those on a 'street'...
There are some regions where, however, this does not apply, with London's most valuable properties on 'streets' and Scotland's homes in 'closes' carrying the highest prices. Across the UK as a whole, homes on lanes are priced on average at £245,906, which is 22 per cent or £44,600 more than the typical UK house price, at £201,246, according to research for Barclays Mortgages.
Working from home can be a joy provided you have a dedicated and uplifting space
More Britons than ever are working from home. According to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, as of June 2014 there were 4.2 million home workers in Britain - 13.9 per cent of the workforce. While there are many pleasures in working at home - setting your own routine, no office politics, fewer disturbances - there is one great pitfall: you cannot leave your desk behind at the end of the day.
Liz Hurley cashes in on booming price of farmland: Actress triples her money in just 13 years as she sells nine-bedroom Cotswolds mansion for £9million
Liz Hurley, 50, bought the Grade II listed property (pictured main) just outside Barnsley, Gloucestershire, for £3.3million in 2002. She said at the time that she hoped to live a farmer's life and even bought cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and geese to prove it. The actress and model, currently starring in the US series The Royals, put the home up for sale for £6million but it languished on the market for nearly a year.
Use yellow undercoat and turn shabby into chic: Five top DIY tips to tackle those nagging jobs that hang over you at home
We all know how easy it is to let things slide at home. Good DIY intentions so often begin and end at the checkout of Homebase. Some might get as far as shifting the furniture, laying dust sheets and even taping off the skirting boards. Those who manage to roll on two coats of Elephant's Breath, congratulate themselves with a cuppa, before packing up and moving on to the next project. Weeks or even months pass. That piece of masking tape taunts; splatters of grey on the white ceiling whisper at failure.
The piers creating a buzz for homebuyers: Cromer and Bournemouth lead the way as more seaside towns regenerate iconic structures
Britain's seaside towns aren't just tempting day trippers. Increasingly, homebuyers are drawn to the coast and in many cases they are prepared to pay a premium to be there, says Fred Redwood. The pier in Bournemouth is an action-packed amenity with attractions such as an indoor simulated rock climb and a zip wire, on which thrill-seekers ride over the waves to the beach. There is also an abundance of property ideally suited to younger, first and second-time buyers.
The Bloomsbury set defied convention in their morals - and blazed a trail with their take on design. So here's how you can get the literary look
The Bloomsberries continue to seduce and scandalise - and a new TV series, Life In Squares, following their spider-web love affairs, begins next week on BBC2. You too can get the Bloomsbury 'look'. Colours are muted, fabrics worn and faded. Artist Duncan Grant, who lived with Vanessa at Charleston, turned his hand to textile design.
Top 15 property listing hotspots revealed: Swindon sees 47% boom in homes put up for sale in a month
Two-thirds of towns and cities across the UK have seen an increase in the number of homes coming up for sale in the past month. Swindon leads the board with a 47% rise, but in Winchester homes for sale are down 18%, data from Rightmove mined by online estate agent House Simple suggests. We reveal the rest of the homes for sale hotspots
Maria Davis says she can make you a buy-to-let millionaire - should you believe her? New tax rules haven't stopped investors seeking get-rich-quick tips
New tax rules were meant to cool the buy-to-let boom but that hasn't stopped this fast-talking saleswoman giving her get rich quick tips to investors. Maria's website describes her as a sales presenter, public speaker and accredited coach, who was trained in the U.S. by a famous sales school. She was an Avon lady, presented on children's TV and is now, she will say, a highly successful property investor.
How to light the night this summer and create a truly magical garden
There's a line in The Great Gatsby which seems to capture perfectly a summer garden party. 'In his blue gardens, men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.'
Clandestine, magical, full of promise. But no matter how blue your garden or how starry the sky, you can still create atmosphere in your outdoor space that might just bring to mind the mood as described by Scott Fitzgerald in his famous opus.
Reading is UK's top property hotspot - but house prices post surprise dip in June sending annual growth to lowest level in two years
Mortgage lender Nationwide said house prices dropped by 0.2 per cent on the month in June - well below economists' forecasts of a 0.2 per cent rise - pushing the annual rate of growth to a two-year low of 3.3 per cent from 4.6 per cent in May. A year ago, house prices across the UK were surging at an annual rate of 11.8 per cent. The average UK house price is now £195,055.
The luxury flats in the heart of London's financial centre... where British buyers get first refusal
How to buy a whole village: Johnny Depp puts his in the South of France up for sale for £16.5m but there are others that cost less than you'd think
You may not be able to afford Johnny Depp's £16.5m estate but villages come on the market more often than you might think - and at not totally silly prices. In mainland Europe, it is not uncommon for dilapidated villages, deserted for years, to come on the market for next to nothing - although there are often strings attached.
Home cinema, gold leaf plasterwork and even a hair salon: Principal House goes on sale
Sam Malin, a geophysicist who has set up several oil and gas exploration companies, and Irene Major, a former Miss Cameroon, bought Principal House in 2006 for £565,000. At the time it was being used as offices by developer Persimmon Homes, who had built the estate of detached clapperboard homes that surround it.
BEST BUYS TABLES
-
Credit cards
Best balance transfers, reward cards and more -
Cheapest loans
See the lowest rates on the market -
Savings accounts
Cash Isas, easy access, fixed rates and more -
Current accounts
Earn interest and rewards on your money -
Best mortgages
Expert advice on the right deal for you -
£12.50 share dealing
Featuring low-cost dividend reinvestment
DON'T MISS: PROPERTY
- Big lenders already axing best fixed-rate mortgage deals in face of potential rate rise in near future
- Time to start saving NOW to benefit from new Help to Buy Isa launching later in the year
- Number of house hunters hits highest level for a decade thanks to record low mortgage deals - but property supply is thinning
- London property prices are being inflated by foreign criminals laundering billions in dirty money, warns crime agency
- House prices in Britain's 20 biggest cities expected to be rising by 10% at end of year driven by high demand, low supply
- Property values soar 1.7% in June sending average price of a UK home above £200k for the first time, says Halifax
- Number of British property millionaires rises to more than half a million for first time amid soaring prices
- The piers creating a buzz for homebuyers: Cromer and Bournemouth lead the way as more seaside towns regenerate iconic structures
- House prices to rise three times faster than previously thought in 2015: Chronic lack of properties will push up values 4.7%
- Average UK house price hits new record of £274k, 50% higher than the 2009 low - thanks to booming Northern Ireland
- A toast to the coast! Holiday or all-year round, homes by the sea that do not cost a fortune
- Extension heaven or planning free-for-all? Osborne tells London councils to let homeowners match neighbours with extra storeys and converted lofts
- Major boost for Airbnb hosts as Chancellor announces a new £7,500 tax break for homeowners who want to rent out a room
- Home, set & match! Tennis courts and other sporting facilities can make your home more saleable - but beware maintenance costs
- Reading is UK's top property hotspot - but house prices post surprise dip in June sending annual growth to lowest level in two years
- The luxury flats in the heart of London's financial centre... where British buyers get first refusal
- How to buy a whole village: Johnny Depp puts his in the South of France up for sale for £16.5m but there are others that cost less than you'd think
- Would you rather have a shoebox in London or a mansion in Wales? One square metre of space hits £12,000 in Kensington, as Britain's property divide spreads
- Home cinema, gold leaf plasterwork and even a hair salon: Principal House goes on sale
- Go with the flow! Mills, water towers, lighthouses - all the options for those who love to live near water
- There's rarely been a better time to bag a bargain abroad! How to find your place in the sun
Mortgage Affordability Calculator
PROPERTY: DON'T MISS
- From seagulls to wasps, don't get stung by pests How to deal with a home menace - and what insurance covers
- I'm thinking about converting my garden shed into a miniature pub Would it add value to my house or put people off?
- What's in an address? Properties with 'lane' in title typically £100k more expensive than those on a 'street'...
- The most heart-breaking mis-selling scandal of all Couple losing their home even though they're NOT behind on their mortgage
- SECRET DIARY OF A FIRST-TIME BUYER We've found a house - it's grotty, has no original features - and we think it's perfect
- 'Second steppers' caught in new home loans The families who would need to double their mortgage to move home
- Can an estate agent snub me if I turn down their financial advice And could it cause me to lose a property bidding war?
- The best places to live in the UK Harrogate residents are the happiest with their lot for third year in a row
- Would you pay £715k for a studio flat in a London tower block? The Versace-designed flats that cost more than an eight-bed mansion in Devon...
- The figures in the property market don't add up Heed the warning signs of a house price crash, says JAMES CONEY
- As Bank of England hints that interest rates could rise by the end of the year Should borrowers lock into a fixed-rate mortgage now?
- Stamp duty calculator How big a tax bill will your property purchase trigger?
- Ten tips for buy-to-let The essential advice for property investors