Property

Wipe out: Surfers run into the sea at Watergate Bay near Newquay

Cornwall's on a wave: Where does the mini-boom leave local buyers?

Prices are rising, second homes are selling fast and even the Prime Minister is holidaying there

Inside Property

House Doctor: 'I'm struggling to remortgage though I have lots of equity. How can this be?'

Friday, 20 August 2010

Question: I can't seem to remortgage to move house for love nor money, having tried two lenders – with a third midway through application. It's very surprising as I've �48,000 in equity and �12,000 savings to put into the next property which should give me a healthy loan-to-value of roughly 75 per cent. The only downside that I can think of is a �2,000 overdraft that I don't often climb out of – and three unauthorised overdraft penalties in 12 months. But that's the only debt I have and I earn �30,000 a year. What am I doing wrong?

Private Viewing: Pick of the property market

Thursday, 19 August 2010

We hunt out the best places on offer

Second-home ownership rises

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

The number of people who own a second home in Britain soared to a record level in 2009, according to research by the estate agency Knight Frank.

Design beside the seaside: Get the fresh coastal look without the sailing clichés

Friday, 13 August 2010

Combine white-painted furniture, striped linen and the right vintage accessories

Original features: Smaller firms are offering inspiring alternatives to the big developers' boring family homes

Friday, 13 August 2010

The last few years have certainly been something of a roller-coaster for those whose business is building homes. Just three years ago private builders – from the volume big boys to niche developers – brought more than 210,000 new homes to the market. By 2009 this had plummeted to just 142,000. And the Home Builders Federation – the body that represents the industry in England and Wales – has called for a change in policy to facilitate increase in building levels, which are currently, they say, at their lowest since 1923. Meanwhile, pre-recession, government density requirements, sheer commercial opportunism and a buy-to-let market giddy with seemingly limitless opportunities saw an increasingly skewed balance in favour of flats and apartments over family homes.

House Doctor: 'Why won't estate agents market our property in a multi-agency deal?'

Friday, 13 August 2010

Question: We've had no luck selling our property with a single estate agent and want to switch to a "multi-agency" deal as we're very keen to sell by mid-September. However, three out of the six agents my wife and I have approached won't take us, saying, "it's a sole agency arrangement or nothing". We don't understand it and are frustrated we can't move on. Surely it's up to us to decide how we want to sell, not them?

House prices fall as demand weakens

Tuesday, 10 August 2010

Property professionals saw house prices fall for the first time in a year last month and expect further declines as demand weakens, according to research today.

House Doctor: 'We want to move but would have to extend our mortgage – should we do it?'

Friday, 6 August 2010

Question: We're desperate to move, but can only pay for it if we overextend our mortgage. After buying our first property, a flat, in 2007, our home loan is 22 years but we'd like to stretch it to 35 or 40 years to afford a bigger place. Will lenders turn us down? We're both in our forties, have jobs and have never missed a payment.

California dreaming: Why an entrepreneur who wanted to build an LA-style Modernist pad took a leaner, greener route

Friday, 6 August 2010

Nigel Mitchell had a very particular kind of dream-home in his mind. For more than a decade, this Bath entrepreneur plotted to demolish his existing house on a site overlooking Bath, and build an ultra-Modernist home on the same site. But delays, legal disputes, and surging steel prices pushed the projected construction cost to more than £1m, and he was forced to think again.