The best way to enjoy London for some serious sales bargain hunting is to find yourself a lovely flat to rent short term, and settle in to being a Londoner for a few days of freedom at a great price.
Renting is so much cheaper than staying in hotels in central London and allows you to be your own person - cook and entertain friends at half the price of having to feed them in hotel restaurants.
Renters have never had so much choice. Thousands of flats are available through specialist property companies offering flexible flats with all the benefits of being in a hotel - with a well informed, uniformed concierge ready to take your bags or hail you a cab without the high cost.
The supply of properties is being boosted by cash strapped private landlords, who are moving out and renting their homes to generate income.
"At this time of year there is always demand from overseas visitors but another group of people who want homes are those who have sold their houses and need to rent while they look for another one" says Lucy Morton of estate agent WA Ellis.
‘It is now possible to move in for a night, a week or a month’
Traditionally a typical short term let was for three months but it is now possible to move in for a night, a week or a month. "The downside of short term lets is the shorter the tenancy, the more expensive it will be, and they might have to accept the fact that the landlord will want to show potential new clients around the property."
Residential Land has a portfolio of 1,500 furnished apartments in new-build developments and mansion blocks across 25 central London postcodes. The company manages the buildings itself, meaning tenants do not have to deal with estate agents. Rents start at £250 a week.
At Grand Plaza, a scheme of 205 apartments in Bayswater, studios cost from £99 per night, much cheaper than an equivalent standard hotel room. Apartments have open-plan kitchens, television, telephone and broadband plus cleaning and laundry services.
Frasers offers fully-serviced apartments at seven prestige "residences" in Kensington and Chelsea, most with no "minimum-stay" restrictions. The company’s motto is "creature comforts and a budget-friendly price tag". It also provides a full hospitality service - in-room dining, theatre tickets, restaurant reservations and so on. Family apartments are available, and some residences have a gym, swimming pool and children’s play area.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Ten tips for Tenants
1. Be very careful who you share the property with, particularly if you are all signing the same tenancy agreement - by doing this you are making yourself liable for their share of the rent as well as your own. You should only sign a tenancy agreement with someone you can trust.
2. Make sure you understand the tenancy agreement before you sign it. If there is anything you don't understand, take advice - e.g. from a Citizens Advice Bureau, a Law Centre, your local Shelter Officer, or a solicitor (many of them offer a free or fixed price initial interview)
3. If your landlord takes a damage deposit after 6 April or your tenancy is renewed after this date, the deposit will normally need to be protected by one of the government authorised tenancy deposit schemes. Find out which scheme your landlord or agent is using and check the rules. Make sure that the deposit is actually protected by checking with the scheme administrators if you are suspicious.
4. When you first go into the property, check the contents and condition of the property carefully against the inventory (if there is one). If anything is damaged or in poor condition, make sure you notify this to the landlord immediately in writing and keep a copy of the letter. This will help you if you have any dispute regarding the damage deposit at the end of the tenancy.
5. If there are any gas appliances in the property, your landlord must have these inspected by a CORGI registered plumber every year and give you a certificate confirming this, both when you go into the property and annually after that. Make sure he does this. If not, you can complain to your local Health and Safety Executive.
6. Once you are in the property, you are entitled to live there without any interference from the landlord. For example he is not entitled to enter the property without your permission.
7. Your landlord is required by law to keep in proper repair the exterior and structure of the property; the installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity and for sanitation; basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary installations; and heating and hot water installations. If this is not done you can complain to either your local environmental heath department or the tenancy relations office at your local authority.
8. It is a criminal offence for your landlord to evict you other than by getting a possession order through the courts or to harass you or do anything likely to make you vacate the property. You may also be entitled to an injunction and/or damages to compensate you if this happens.
9. If you have children or are disabled or are vulnerable in some other way, you will be entitled to be re-housed by the local authority if you are evicted by your landlord from your home. Speak to the Homelessness Officer (or equivalent) at your local Authority. However take note that you may lose this right if the eviction could have been avoided e.g. if you are evicted for rent arrears when you could have paid the rent.
10. When you leave the property, make an appointment with the landlord or his agent to check over the property and its condition. If there is any dispute regarding the repayment of the damage deposit, for example if you consider your landlord's proposed deductions are unfair and your landlord will not negotiate, contact the scheme administrators of the tenancy deposit scheme used by your landlord and let them know. You are entitled to ask that the dispute be referred to arbitration. Do not delay in dealing with this as there may be a time limit.
2. Make sure you understand the tenancy agreement before you sign it. If there is anything you don't understand, take advice - e.g. from a Citizens Advice Bureau, a Law Centre, your local Shelter Officer, or a solicitor (many of them offer a free or fixed price initial interview)
3. If your landlord takes a damage deposit after 6 April or your tenancy is renewed after this date, the deposit will normally need to be protected by one of the government authorised tenancy deposit schemes. Find out which scheme your landlord or agent is using and check the rules. Make sure that the deposit is actually protected by checking with the scheme administrators if you are suspicious.
4. When you first go into the property, check the contents and condition of the property carefully against the inventory (if there is one). If anything is damaged or in poor condition, make sure you notify this to the landlord immediately in writing and keep a copy of the letter. This will help you if you have any dispute regarding the damage deposit at the end of the tenancy.
5. If there are any gas appliances in the property, your landlord must have these inspected by a CORGI registered plumber every year and give you a certificate confirming this, both when you go into the property and annually after that. Make sure he does this. If not, you can complain to your local Health and Safety Executive.
6. Once you are in the property, you are entitled to live there without any interference from the landlord. For example he is not entitled to enter the property without your permission.
7. Your landlord is required by law to keep in proper repair the exterior and structure of the property; the installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity and for sanitation; basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary installations; and heating and hot water installations. If this is not done you can complain to either your local environmental heath department or the tenancy relations office at your local authority.
8. It is a criminal offence for your landlord to evict you other than by getting a possession order through the courts or to harass you or do anything likely to make you vacate the property. You may also be entitled to an injunction and/or damages to compensate you if this happens.
9. If you have children or are disabled or are vulnerable in some other way, you will be entitled to be re-housed by the local authority if you are evicted by your landlord from your home. Speak to the Homelessness Officer (or equivalent) at your local Authority. However take note that you may lose this right if the eviction could have been avoided e.g. if you are evicted for rent arrears when you could have paid the rent.
10. When you leave the property, make an appointment with the landlord or his agent to check over the property and its condition. If there is any dispute regarding the repayment of the damage deposit, for example if you consider your landlord's proposed deductions are unfair and your landlord will not negotiate, contact the scheme administrators of the tenancy deposit scheme used by your landlord and let them know. You are entitled to ask that the dispute be referred to arbitration. Do not delay in dealing with this as there may be a time limit.
New rules for Home Information Packs - HIPs
Home owners now have to have a Home Information Pack ready before they put their property up for sale. In the past, vendors only had to order a HIP before putting their property on the market. Sellers also now need to put more details into the pack, including the council tax band of the property.
There have been criticisms of HIPs, with some claiming they are an "expensive waste of time". However, the Government says the changes give buyers in England and Wales (where HIPs apply) more clarity, and they welcome them.
Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of HIP Providers, said: "HIPs provide buyers with a great deal of important information that should be taken into consideration before making an offer, from the home's energy efficiency to local search information."
Mr Ockenden also said that the new Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) would give vital information to buyers in their search for a new home. It includes details on parking arrangements, utilities, any structural changes and the property’s council tax band.
Fines for people who put a property up for sale without a HIP and PIQ could start at £200 for estate agents or private sellers.
Many estate agents remain unhappy with HIPs, and say the new rules will make things worse. Chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), Peter Bolton King, said, "An expensive waste of time is counterproductive at the best of times, but in a housing slump HIPs are downright damaging." He said the scheme had been a costly failure and added an unnecessary burden to vendors.
There have been criticisms of HIPs, with some claiming they are an "expensive waste of time". However, the Government says the changes give buyers in England and Wales (where HIPs apply) more clarity, and they welcome them.
Mike Ockenden, director general of the Association of HIP Providers, said: "HIPs provide buyers with a great deal of important information that should be taken into consideration before making an offer, from the home's energy efficiency to local search information."
Mr Ockenden also said that the new Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ) would give vital information to buyers in their search for a new home. It includes details on parking arrangements, utilities, any structural changes and the property’s council tax band.
Fines for people who put a property up for sale without a HIP and PIQ could start at £200 for estate agents or private sellers.
Many estate agents remain unhappy with HIPs, and say the new rules will make things worse. Chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), Peter Bolton King, said, "An expensive waste of time is counterproductive at the best of times, but in a housing slump HIPs are downright damaging." He said the scheme had been a costly failure and added an unnecessary burden to vendors.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Rental market booms
Demand for rental properties is at record levels as people delay plans to buy their own homes because of the downturn in the housing market.
The proportion of letting agents reporting that demand is outstripping supply is now at a high of 39 per cent, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla), with the imbalance highest in Greater London and the South-east. The report echoes the findings of recent studies which have revealed a rental boom off the back of turmoil in the home-owning market.
The mortgage lender Paragon said strong demand had pushed the average cost of renting a home in England and Wales through the £1,000 a month barrier for the first time.
Other reasons for the boom in demand included a sudden influx of desirable properties coming on the market. The main cause of these is the development of new blocks of two-bedroom flats coming on-stream.
The strong level of demand has led to a further fall in the average length of time a property is empty between tenants, falling from 24 days to 22 during the past three months. There has also been an increase in the average length of time tenants stay in a property, rising from 16.1 months to 16.3 months.
Michelle, 29, who has been renting in Islington, north London, since October said she was keen to buy her first home, but was likely to remain a tenant for the foreseeable future. "I've been looking to buy a two-bedroom flat since the end of last year," she said. "But the worry is: if I buy a flat now – will it be worth less than I paid for it in six months' time?
"I don't want to end up with negative equity and even though I've saved up the deposit needed to get a mortgage, I plan to keep renting until it becomes clearer which way house prices are going.
"Renting in London is expensive one-bedroom flats seem to be on the market from at least £250 per week plus bills, which can really add up, but at the moment waiting for even a small percentage fall in prices which could end up saving me thousands of pounds when it comes to buying my own place. Staying in rented accommodation seems to make sense at the moment."
Average rents for a house now range from £931 a month outside the South-east to £3,000 in London, while flats range from £585 outside the South-east to £2,000 in London.
The proportion of letting agents reporting that demand is outstripping supply is now at a high of 39 per cent, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla), with the imbalance highest in Greater London and the South-east. The report echoes the findings of recent studies which have revealed a rental boom off the back of turmoil in the home-owning market.
The mortgage lender Paragon said strong demand had pushed the average cost of renting a home in England and Wales through the £1,000 a month barrier for the first time.
Other reasons for the boom in demand included a sudden influx of desirable properties coming on the market. The main cause of these is the development of new blocks of two-bedroom flats coming on-stream.
The strong level of demand has led to a further fall in the average length of time a property is empty between tenants, falling from 24 days to 22 during the past three months. There has also been an increase in the average length of time tenants stay in a property, rising from 16.1 months to 16.3 months.
Michelle, 29, who has been renting in Islington, north London, since October said she was keen to buy her first home, but was likely to remain a tenant for the foreseeable future. "I've been looking to buy a two-bedroom flat since the end of last year," she said. "But the worry is: if I buy a flat now – will it be worth less than I paid for it in six months' time?
"I don't want to end up with negative equity and even though I've saved up the deposit needed to get a mortgage, I plan to keep renting until it becomes clearer which way house prices are going.
"Renting in London is expensive one-bedroom flats seem to be on the market from at least £250 per week plus bills, which can really add up, but at the moment waiting for even a small percentage fall in prices which could end up saving me thousands of pounds when it comes to buying my own place. Staying in rented accommodation seems to make sense at the moment."
Average rents for a house now range from £931 a month outside the South-east to £3,000 in London, while flats range from £585 outside the South-east to £2,000 in London.
How to negotiate your rent
Step1
Offer to pre-pay several months or even a year. Ask for a free month’s rent in return for pre-paying a year’s rent, or ask for several weeks’ free for making two semi- annual rent payments. Many landlords would find this an attractive offer, and would be willing to give you a few weeks free even if not a full month. Obviously, you want to have a good credit history, and good prior rent payment history. If this is the case, you want to stress that in your negotiations. Statements such as: “I have paid my rent on time every single months for the past four years,” or “I am never late with a payment,“ are music to a landlord’s ears. If you don’t have enough cash in advance, ask that a clause be added to the contract giving you a two percent discount for paying the monthly rent early.
Step2
Ask for a reduction in monthly rent for a longer lease if you are planning to stay for more than a year. Ask for £50 less per month for a two year contract (be prepared for the landlord to counter by adding an additional deposit to serve as a contract termination fee should you not stay the full two years). A two year lease at a lower rate not only saves you money immediately but also protects you from a rent increase after the first year. If you are an excellent tenant throughout the two years, you will be in a good position to negotiate a new contract at the same -- or lower --rent.
Step3
Emphasize whatever characteristics you have that indicate you will be a hassle-free tenant when negotiating your first lease. If true, be sure to tell the landlord that you are “quiet” and an “immaculate house keeper.”
Step4
Paint, plant, and make other improvements to the property. You will generally need the owner’s permission. Drop the landlord a note stating what you want to do. If you are painting, state the color (nothing out of the ordinary) and make of paint (medium to high grade). Ask for a rent credit from the next month’s rent to cover the materials and labor of the improvements.
Step5
Mention you are handy and can take care of small repairs when negotiating your first year’s rent. Promise to take care of minor stuff. Keep track of the small repairs that you handle. Mention these repairs when negotiating the next year’s rent.
Offer to pre-pay several months or even a year. Ask for a free month’s rent in return for pre-paying a year’s rent, or ask for several weeks’ free for making two semi- annual rent payments. Many landlords would find this an attractive offer, and would be willing to give you a few weeks free even if not a full month. Obviously, you want to have a good credit history, and good prior rent payment history. If this is the case, you want to stress that in your negotiations. Statements such as: “I have paid my rent on time every single months for the past four years,” or “I am never late with a payment,“ are music to a landlord’s ears. If you don’t have enough cash in advance, ask that a clause be added to the contract giving you a two percent discount for paying the monthly rent early.
Step2
Ask for a reduction in monthly rent for a longer lease if you are planning to stay for more than a year. Ask for £50 less per month for a two year contract (be prepared for the landlord to counter by adding an additional deposit to serve as a contract termination fee should you not stay the full two years). A two year lease at a lower rate not only saves you money immediately but also protects you from a rent increase after the first year. If you are an excellent tenant throughout the two years, you will be in a good position to negotiate a new contract at the same -- or lower --rent.
Step3
Emphasize whatever characteristics you have that indicate you will be a hassle-free tenant when negotiating your first lease. If true, be sure to tell the landlord that you are “quiet” and an “immaculate house keeper.”
Step4
Paint, plant, and make other improvements to the property. You will generally need the owner’s permission. Drop the landlord a note stating what you want to do. If you are painting, state the color (nothing out of the ordinary) and make of paint (medium to high grade). Ask for a rent credit from the next month’s rent to cover the materials and labor of the improvements.
Step5
Mention you are handy and can take care of small repairs when negotiating your first year’s rent. Promise to take care of minor stuff. Keep track of the small repairs that you handle. Mention these repairs when negotiating the next year’s rent.
Holiday in Dubrovnik, Croatia
"Nowhere else in the world is a medieval city is so perfectly presented. But Dubrovnik isn’t preserved in aspic. It’s vibrant and vital, with pizzerias in its pretty squares, discos down its cobbled streets and watersports on the deep blue sea. Inimitable …"
Encircled by the sturdiest city walls, Dubrovnik climbs up cobbled streets, twists along narrow alleyways and opens onto hidden squares. It’s a labyrinth with a sightseeing treat round every corner. The view from the ramparts over terracotta-topped buildings is almost too perfect to be real. Church domes and bell towers rise towards the sky. And here and there are splashes of green – where a tall tree is throwing dappled shade onto an ancient piazza. But it’s not all about the city scene. Lapping at the city’s south-western edge, the Adriatic forms a sparkling blue backdrop to a picture unchanged through centuries. So much for the wider picture. Now home-in on the detail. This UNESCO World Heritage Site may look much as it did six hundred years ago, but it survives because it’s anything but old-fashioned. Along with the monasteries and palaces, there are markets and pizzerias. Intimate bars and restaurants inhabit old-world buildings. In July and August, Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival fills the stone-paved streets with the music of outdoor concerts.The town’s marina is attracting a growing number of yachties – and sailing is second-to-none with so many offshore islands to explore. This city is a one-off.
Accomodation in Dubrovnik
Encircled by the sturdiest city walls, Dubrovnik climbs up cobbled streets, twists along narrow alleyways and opens onto hidden squares. It’s a labyrinth with a sightseeing treat round every corner. The view from the ramparts over terracotta-topped buildings is almost too perfect to be real. Church domes and bell towers rise towards the sky. And here and there are splashes of green – where a tall tree is throwing dappled shade onto an ancient piazza. But it’s not all about the city scene. Lapping at the city’s south-western edge, the Adriatic forms a sparkling blue backdrop to a picture unchanged through centuries. So much for the wider picture. Now home-in on the detail. This UNESCO World Heritage Site may look much as it did six hundred years ago, but it survives because it’s anything but old-fashioned. Along with the monasteries and palaces, there are markets and pizzerias. Intimate bars and restaurants inhabit old-world buildings. In July and August, Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival fills the stone-paved streets with the music of outdoor concerts.The town’s marina is attracting a growing number of yachties – and sailing is second-to-none with so many offshore islands to explore. This city is a one-off.
Accomodation in Dubrovnik
Eastern Europe Travel
Sunny beaches, succulent seafood, and a taste of la dolce vita...in Eastern Europe? Although, the Croatians will not be pleased if you link their beloved country to Eastern Europe.
Croatia's Dalmatian Coast is Eastern Europe's Riviera. And the best Dalmatian destination of them all is Dubrovnik — a living fairy tale that shouldn't be missed. With an epic history, breezy Mediterranean culture, and one of Eastern Europe's best old towns, Dubrovnik is like Venice without the canals.
The highlight of any day in Dubrovnik is strolling the scenic mile around the Old Town's city walls. As you meander along this lofty perch — with a sea of orange roofs on one side, and the actual sea on the other — you'll get your bearings and snap pictures like mad of the ever-changing views.
Surfing along the rooftops, ponder how Dubrovnik's charm is the sleepy result of its no-nonsense past. Busy merchants, the salt trade, and shipbuilding made Dubrovnik rich. But the city's most valued commodity was always its freedom. In the Middle Ages, the city-state of Dubrovnik had to buy its independence from whomever was strongest, sometimes paying off more than one at a time.
The city faced another threat to its independence during the recent war with Yugoslavia. While the rest of Croatia's coastline was virtually untouched by the war, the Yugoslav National Army laid siege to Dubrovnik for eight long months. In the years since, Dubrovnik has repaired itself with remarkable speed and confidence. Today the city feels perfectly safe, and the only visible signs of the war are some new, bright-orange roof tiles. The tourists are most decidedly back — in droves.
And there's plenty here to keep those tourists busy. Within the Old Town walls are a gaggle of surprisingly interesting sights: a pharmacy that's been open for business since the Middle Ages, a pair of tranquil convents surrounded by painting galleries, Europe's second-oldest synagogue, a dusty but evocative Serbian Orthodox church and icon museum, art-packed churches and mansions, and museums devoted to the local folk life and seafaring culture.
The traffic-free Old Town is bisected by the main promenade, the Stradun. This is the heartbeat of the city: an Old World shopping mall by day and sprawling cocktail party after dark, when everybody seems to be doing the traditional evening stroll — flirting, ice-cream-licking, flaunting, and gawking. A coffee and some of Europe's best people-watching in a prime Stradun café is one of travel's great bargains.
With more time, Dubrovnik is an ideal home base for day trips. At Dubrovnik's salty Old Port, local captains set up tiny booths to hawk touristy boat trips. It's fun to chat with them, page through their sun-faded photo albums, and see if they can sell you on a short cruise. Just offshore is Lokrum Island, famous for its nude beaches. Also popular are the Elaphite Islands, a nearby, time-passed archipelago speckled with beaches and villas. You're also just a couple of hours (by car, public bus, or guided tour) from other attractions in the former Yugoslavia, including Montenegro's striking Bay of Kotor and Bosnia-Herzegovina's thought-provoking Mostar and Sarajevo. And there's no better place to "come home to" than Dubrovnik — after a busy day exploring the coastline, strolling the Stradun to unwind is particularly sweet.
Fresh, delicious seafood is another Dubrovnik joy. Around every corner is a characteristic, family-run eatery with sun-bathed outdoor seating. For starters, let a startlingly delicious sardine — carefully marinated in a generations-old family recipe — slowly melt in your mouth. Dalmatians say that a fish should swim three times: first in the sea, then in olive oil, and finally in wine — when you eat it. If fish isn't your style, savor a bite of grilled squid or air-dried Dalmatian ham (pršut).
For a memorable finale to your Dubrovnik day, poke your way to the cocktail bar perched on a cliff above the sea, clinging like a barnacle to the outside of the city walls. Watching ships sail into the sunset, and enjoying the castaway views and Frank Sinatra ambience, you'll understand why this town is called the "Pearl of the Adriatic."
HomeKeep Croatia
Croatia's Dalmatian Coast is Eastern Europe's Riviera. And the best Dalmatian destination of them all is Dubrovnik — a living fairy tale that shouldn't be missed. With an epic history, breezy Mediterranean culture, and one of Eastern Europe's best old towns, Dubrovnik is like Venice without the canals.
The highlight of any day in Dubrovnik is strolling the scenic mile around the Old Town's city walls. As you meander along this lofty perch — with a sea of orange roofs on one side, and the actual sea on the other — you'll get your bearings and snap pictures like mad of the ever-changing views.
Surfing along the rooftops, ponder how Dubrovnik's charm is the sleepy result of its no-nonsense past. Busy merchants, the salt trade, and shipbuilding made Dubrovnik rich. But the city's most valued commodity was always its freedom. In the Middle Ages, the city-state of Dubrovnik had to buy its independence from whomever was strongest, sometimes paying off more than one at a time.
The city faced another threat to its independence during the recent war with Yugoslavia. While the rest of Croatia's coastline was virtually untouched by the war, the Yugoslav National Army laid siege to Dubrovnik for eight long months. In the years since, Dubrovnik has repaired itself with remarkable speed and confidence. Today the city feels perfectly safe, and the only visible signs of the war are some new, bright-orange roof tiles. The tourists are most decidedly back — in droves.
And there's plenty here to keep those tourists busy. Within the Old Town walls are a gaggle of surprisingly interesting sights: a pharmacy that's been open for business since the Middle Ages, a pair of tranquil convents surrounded by painting galleries, Europe's second-oldest synagogue, a dusty but evocative Serbian Orthodox church and icon museum, art-packed churches and mansions, and museums devoted to the local folk life and seafaring culture.
The traffic-free Old Town is bisected by the main promenade, the Stradun. This is the heartbeat of the city: an Old World shopping mall by day and sprawling cocktail party after dark, when everybody seems to be doing the traditional evening stroll — flirting, ice-cream-licking, flaunting, and gawking. A coffee and some of Europe's best people-watching in a prime Stradun café is one of travel's great bargains.
With more time, Dubrovnik is an ideal home base for day trips. At Dubrovnik's salty Old Port, local captains set up tiny booths to hawk touristy boat trips. It's fun to chat with them, page through their sun-faded photo albums, and see if they can sell you on a short cruise. Just offshore is Lokrum Island, famous for its nude beaches. Also popular are the Elaphite Islands, a nearby, time-passed archipelago speckled with beaches and villas. You're also just a couple of hours (by car, public bus, or guided tour) from other attractions in the former Yugoslavia, including Montenegro's striking Bay of Kotor and Bosnia-Herzegovina's thought-provoking Mostar and Sarajevo. And there's no better place to "come home to" than Dubrovnik — after a busy day exploring the coastline, strolling the Stradun to unwind is particularly sweet.
Fresh, delicious seafood is another Dubrovnik joy. Around every corner is a characteristic, family-run eatery with sun-bathed outdoor seating. For starters, let a startlingly delicious sardine — carefully marinated in a generations-old family recipe — slowly melt in your mouth. Dalmatians say that a fish should swim three times: first in the sea, then in olive oil, and finally in wine — when you eat it. If fish isn't your style, savor a bite of grilled squid or air-dried Dalmatian ham (pršut).
For a memorable finale to your Dubrovnik day, poke your way to the cocktail bar perched on a cliff above the sea, clinging like a barnacle to the outside of the city walls. Watching ships sail into the sunset, and enjoying the castaway views and Frank Sinatra ambience, you'll understand why this town is called the "Pearl of the Adriatic."
HomeKeep Croatia
Friday, 3 April 2009
House Prices in the UK
Nationwide reported that prices went up 0.9 per cent last month, the first increase since October 2007.
An economist at Investec, said: "The
Halifax numbers really confirm that the underlying trend for house prices is still down and will remain the case until the end of the year."
The Halifax said that year-on-year prices had fallen 17.5 per cent, a modest improvement on the 17.7 per cent fall seen in February.
Yesterday's news from the Nationwide was described by experts as a “narrow shaft of sunlight” for homeowners after 18 months of almost unremitting gloom.
Signs of recovery?
Nationwide's figures show that prices of flats have been more volatile than other types of properties.
The figures come shortly after the Bank of England reported that mortgage approvals for house purchases in Britain rose more than expected in February.
The rise in mortgage approvals by all lenders - to 38,000 approvals in the month, up from 32,000 in January - is a good short-term indicator of actual lending and suggests this may now pick up.
Recent surveys from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) have shown rising interest from prospective buyers.
An economist at Investec, said: "The
Halifax numbers really confirm that the underlying trend for house prices is still down and will remain the case until the end of the year."
The Halifax said that year-on-year prices had fallen 17.5 per cent, a modest improvement on the 17.7 per cent fall seen in February.
Yesterday's news from the Nationwide was described by experts as a “narrow shaft of sunlight” for homeowners after 18 months of almost unremitting gloom.
Signs of recovery?
Nationwide's figures show that prices of flats have been more volatile than other types of properties.
The figures come shortly after the Bank of England reported that mortgage approvals for house purchases in Britain rose more than expected in February.
The rise in mortgage approvals by all lenders - to 38,000 approvals in the month, up from 32,000 in January - is a good short-term indicator of actual lending and suggests this may now pick up.
Recent surveys from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) have shown rising interest from prospective buyers.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Americans in London, in Notting Hill
Are you relocating to London? Perhaps considering a trendy Notting Hill area of Lodnon?
What is currently happening in Notting Hill? Here is just a test of it...
There are gypsy-inspired live bands and cabaret acts Bow Mods, Hanna Pearce, Jurojin, Shtetl Superstars and The Woodsmen. Plus Zoe Klinger's Friends of Gagarin, the Dancefloor Kommissars, performance art, east European cinema, poetry, puppetry, poverty, latkes, blinis and, naturally, v-v-vodka.
Besides having lots of fun in all those Notting Hill's hidden gems, you can fuel your adrenaline with discovering them yourself. Designer boutiques, interior designers, bars, restaurants, cafes and specialist businesses make this a unique and vibrant area. The Portobello Road Market brings in visitors from around the world. You've got it all here whether you're browsing for the latest fashion designs or fantastic antiques. With the many fashion designer boutiques, art galleries, lifestyle and interiors you will not keep the money in you pocket for too long. And the finest foods and wines. Here you can find impressively good selection. Discover the hidden gems the locals already know..
If you are thinking of relocationg to London, London Relocation Services will make it easy. They focus is you, and they take into account your preferred:
What is currently happening in Notting Hill? Here is just a test of it...
There are gypsy-inspired live bands and cabaret acts Bow Mods, Hanna Pearce, Jurojin, Shtetl Superstars and The Woodsmen. Plus Zoe Klinger's Friends of Gagarin, the Dancefloor Kommissars, performance art, east European cinema, poetry, puppetry, poverty, latkes, blinis and, naturally, v-v-vodka.
Besides having lots of fun in all those Notting Hill's hidden gems, you can fuel your adrenaline with discovering them yourself. Designer boutiques, interior designers, bars, restaurants, cafes and specialist businesses make this a unique and vibrant area. The Portobello Road Market brings in visitors from around the world. You've got it all here whether you're browsing for the latest fashion designs or fantastic antiques. With the many fashion designer boutiques, art galleries, lifestyle and interiors you will not keep the money in you pocket for too long. And the finest foods and wines. Here you can find impressively good selection. Discover the hidden gems the locals already know..
If you are thinking of relocationg to London, London Relocation Services will make it easy. They focus is you, and they take into account your preferred:
- Lifestyle - Local area knowledge of required amenities
- Area - Safety and commute to your place of work or study
- Budget - You will only view the best available properties within your budget
- Time - We work around your schedule and availability
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