Freshly Social

Despite recent good news that the London property market is on the up and up, the remainder of the UK property market is still struggling to recover from the recent global credit crunch. The most affected it seems, are young people looking to buy their first house. Statistics show that young professionals are putting their relationships, marriages and the idea of having children on hold until they are able to purchase a property in the UK.

Recent research carried out by the National Housing Federation indicates that almost 40% of young professionals are reluctant to get married or have children until they are able purchase a UK property of their own. The research focused on 18 to 30 year olds who were not yet home owners.

Plans to bulldoze Earls Court complex and turn it into an extensive residential area are set to cause a stir in the Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham property markets in the next few years.

In early January 2010 London based developer Capital and Counties bought the Earls and Olympia exhibition centres which are both situated on the 26 acre area of land that will be redeveloped.

The Earls Court Exhibition Centre was opened in 1937 and has hosted a range of events since then. As the largest exhibition venue in Central London it is one of the UK’s most popular concert arenas. With a capacity of 19 000, the concert hall has seen some history’s most legendary music acts.

One wonders why Victoria Beckham felt the need to blow £1 million on a shopping trip in Milan when she is well established in London, also known as shoppers’ paradise. The spice girl turned style icon brought home loads of designer shoes, handbags and dresses but, as any central London estate agent can tell you, she could well have stayed in her home country.

Part of the reason why central London property is in demand is the area’s big city life conveniences such as close proximity to Oxford and Regent streets. Shopaholics and those who tend to spend flock to London to indulge their habit, particularly round this time of year.

All that clever consumers want for Christmas is some cash to keep for post festive season bargain-hunting at their favourite London shop. For the duration of January most department stores, designer outlets, high street shops and vintage boutiques cut their prices drastically. The endurance of crowds and queues is not ideal, but definitely worth acquiring five or six items for the price of one.

Guy Ritchie is one of those fabulously multi-talented, multi-tasking individuals who are brilliant at everything including making Average Joe feel, well, average.

The 41 year old Brit who resides at his Marylebone property in Central London is a classic example of “teenage write-off turns successful millionaire and smiles smugly to everyone who said he didn’t know what he was doing”.

Ritchie is dyslexic and attended the Stanbridge Earls School, which specialises in the learning disorder. When he was 15 he was expelled, the reason being drug use according him, and bunking class and cavorting with a young lady in his room according to his father.

But since then he’s casually directed massive black comedy cult films like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla, and also ventured into blockbuster movies like his latest Sherlock Holmes.

Fulham is a good place to live for a number of reasons, not least for the fact that it is home to both Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage. So who would want to buy Fulham property aside from rowdy football fans? Lots of cool people, that’s who.

Wikipedia told me that Fulham means either “place of fowls” or “place of mud” or “land in the crook of a river bend belonging to a man named Fulla”. Well the land does not belong to Fulla anymore.

These days notable owners of property in Fulham include the epic Brian May of Queen and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, Dame Maggie Smith and Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter, and Catherine Tate of The Catherine Tate Show. Imagine bumping into Maggie Smith on your standard morning stroll:

“Alright Mags, dinner at Brian’s on Thursday?”

Good news for Putney home owners is that house prices have risen significantly in the area recently. A report released jointly by the Land Registry and PutneySW15.com shows a 12.2% improvement in Putney house prices in the last quarter. However, at the same time, flat prices have fallen by a surprising 8.8%.

James French of Douglas and Gordon, London, attributes the rallying Putney house prices to improved buyer confidence and the supply of houses falling below the rekindled demand. The estate agent, Putney, also said that business has been good from a house sales point of view.

“Despite all the doom and gloom predictions that the property market was going slowly in 2009 and that significant price drops would be affected, we at Douglas and Gordon in Putney are finding quite the opposite in the summer market. We have experienced a busy market this year with plenty of new buyers registering and number of sellers decreasing steadily. In April 2008, the number of registered buyers was 680 over the 16 offices in London – this April, the number was 1000,” French said.

We all know that London is the place to be when you are eager for any form of entertainment. Whether it is a stroll through the magical markets, or a visit to theatrical shows, London has it, and has it in abundance. Hammersmith events feature at the top of the “What’s happening” list, hosting events big and small, but no doubt all highly appealing. This area was once known as the forgotten area of London but now bustles with energy and exclusivity. Any estate agent in Hammersmith will tell you that Londoner’s are standing in line to relocate to this prestigious area. Modern-chic and steeped in deep history and culture, Hammersmith holds events that are fit for a king, or rather, the queen.

Even the affluent have to cut costs, so here are some tips on what to do in Kensington, London without spending a penny of your hard earned cash.

Any estate agent in Kensington can tell you that house prices remain stable in Kensington as it rides out the recession. However, recently, a whole food store in Kensington had to cut-back on many of its frills. The reason – even the affluent have to tighten their belts and cut back on the usual things they do in Kensington. If you are lucky enough to live in one of the properties in Kensington, you won’t be spending all your time indoors this summer and autumn. However, with high mortgage rates, congestion charges, petrol costs, high food prices, and salary cuts, you may find yourself with less disposable income. Surprisingly, there are plenty of things to do in Kensington on a tight budget.