According to a new study from London-based real estate company Douglas & Gordon, the London residential property market ended 2013 on a positive note, with more sellers and buyers.
According to the Barometer, 50 percent more properties were listed in December, with 20 percent more buyers. flats for sale in qatar
The month of December was busier than normal, as predicted, with price increases in London, according to the survey. The company anticipates the same level of activity this year.
"All signs point to another year of price rises in D&G territory, with even more pent-up demand and the key center of operation taking place in 'Emerging Prime'-areas just outside Prime Central London," said Ed Mead, D&G executive director, in the paper. "We expect another year of price growth in 2014, ranging from 5% to 7%," says the company.
The study focuses on the changing dynamics of the London leasing industry.
When their properties became vacant in December, about 10% of landlords chose to take advantage of the sales demand and sell. Ten percent of residents, on the other hand, wanted to purchase homes when their leases ended in December.
The leasing business is expected to have a successful year, according to the company.
"We reported 20% more tenants in December than the same time last year," Virginia Skilbeck, D&G lettings director, said in the paper. "However, stock levels decreased by 20% year on year and were at the lowest level seen in over 12 months." "Because the rental market is inextricably linked to the output of the London economy, we expect just 1% to 2% nominal rental growth in 2014."
Farmland values in England are at an all-time high.
According to Knight Frank results, English farmland prices have reached an all-time high, driven by population growth and a scarcity of farmland.
The firm's farmland index shows a 7% rise in value in 2013, with an average of just under £6,700 per acre expected in 2014, with further growth anticipated.
According to the Financial Times, the average sale price for large blocks of investment-grade arable land is more than £10,000 per acre.
According to the Financial Times, average property prices have increased by 222 percent in the last decade, compared to a 58 percent rise for the FTSE 100 and a 132 percent increase for prime central London residential property.
Demography, according to economists, is behind the increase in farmland prices.
"Today, population growth is a global problem, and food demand is increasing." The head of Knight Frank's agricultural investment acquisitions team, Tom Raynham, told the Financial Times. "One way for investors to get in on this trend is to purchase farmland."
Mr. Raynham claims that farmland offers investors more stability and lower volatility than other major asset groups.
"Agricultural support payments in the UK, as well as the rest of the European Union, help to offset the effects of adverse weather conditions and global economic downturns," he said.
A scarcity of farmland is a major factor in the market's success. In the UK, 125,000 acres of land is publicly sold at the end of 2013. According to the Financial Times, sellers had almost 200,000 more acres to trade fifteen years earlier.
Tax advantages, which include exemptions from inheritance tax and capital gains tax under some cases, the right to offset any losses from the farm against income earned elsewhere, and benefits through value added tax, are another lure for farmland buyers.
According to the report, HM Revenue & Customs is working to ensure that only those who are actively cultivating the land gain tax benefits, rather than those who are looking to live in a large house in a rural location.