A surprising new pattern is emerging as young London families struggle to cope with these tougher economic times, reports Homes & Property today. In an attempt to meet rising household expenses and university tuition and school fees, families are selling up, taking a cash bonus out of their homes and downsizing.

They are discovering that by selling their home in the capital they can expect a typical cash windfall of £270,000 if they move to a cheaper property, according to new research. In the past, downsizing was usually the preserve of older couples whose children had left home. Now, more

It can be difficult for first time buyers to get their feet onto the property ladder. With high house prices, unachievable mortgage deposits and lenders looking for low risk investments, the prospect of buying your own home can seem very daunting. Therefore, people looking to get their foot on the first rung of the property ladder may find Shared Ownership (sometimes known as Part Buy Part Rent) is an attractive option.

Robert Dibb, director at mortgage advice specialists Advoco Financial, has noted this approach has numerous advantages for first-time buyers (FTBs). Mr Dibb explained the

House prices in rural parts of the UK have recently been outperforming those in city centres, new research by Halifax has suggested.

It was demonstrated that while the average price of a property in the city has tumbled 22% over the last five years, the typical value of a rural property has dipped slightly less at 20%.

As a result of such movement, the average price of a home in a rural setting is £201,191, which is 17% more expensive than the £171,709 price tag typically given to an urban-based abode.

In the last 12 months, the value of a house in the countryside has typically increased by 2%

We are currently accepting entries into the October/November auctions. If your property has been on the market for ages or you're just needing to sell quickly, and want to find out more about selling at auction, then contact us today. We handle every type of property: commercial, residential, ground rent, investments, portfolios, land, development sites, etc.

What are some of the benefits of selling at auction?

•         The possibility of obtaining a higher price and an earlier sale.
•         A greater certainty of selling your property - 60-70% on average.
•         Predictable time

The former north London home of the original band members of rock band Pink Floyd has been bought by a Singaporean developer who has not yet seen it. Sham Masterman, who admitted not being a fan of the rock band, bought the Highgate house and the one next door for £1.2 million each. Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Syd Barrett lived in the house in the 1960s.

Miss Masterman, of Kensington, west London, who has a portfolio of properties, admitted that she did not "really need to work" but was looking for a new project. She added that she had a friend who was a Pink Floyd fan and may

Hello house hunters! This is my final news update entry until 20th Sept, as I am being whisked off to Portugal on my annual holiday!  So I am just letting you know that pretty much all the September auction lots are now uploaded into our database (with a number of auctions having already taken place last week).  Any unsold properties from the September auctions will be displayed in the database, as and when the auction houses release their results – so keep checking back on a daily basis to find out what’s still available.  There are quite a few auctions taking place in October as well, and

Landlords are right to be optimistic about the direction the buy-to-let market is heading in at present.

Landlord Mortgages’ Lee Grandin said recently that the buy-to-let “environment” is a positive one when it comes to people who “have the cash to purchase property”.

He advised that one needs to have a lot of cash in the current climate in order to succeed when it comes to buy-to-let. The reason for this, he said, was that people require sizeable deposits.

Mr Grandin explained: “The minimum deposit is 20%, but most products come with a higher deposit up to 40%, which does limit who can

House prices jumped a "surprising" 1.3% in August, the Nationwide building society has said. It was the biggest monthly rise since January 2010 and left the average UK house price at £164,729.

It means prices are only 0.7% lower than a year ago, despite the recession and continued mortgage rationing.

However, the society's chief economist, Robert Gardner, warned that "we should never read too much into one month's data".

"Nevertheless, the fact that the annual pace of house price decline moderated to minus 0.7% in August from minus 2.6% the previous month provides evidence that conditions

UK builder Barratt Developments has exchanged contracts with the Greater London Authority (GLA) to redevelop one of the most sought after housing led redevelopment opportunities within the M25 motorway.

With a gross development value (GDV) of around £250 million, the 83 hectare former hospital site at Cane Hill in Coulsdon, Croydon, will see 650 homes built of which 163 will be affordable.

The development proposals also include up to 70,000 square feet of commercial space including business, leisure and retail.  The homes, half of which will be family housing, will comply with the Mayor of

As you may (or may not) have noticed, our database of property for auction has expanded massively during the past week, with over 1500 new properties being added, for auction during September.  There are still a couple of the major catalogues to be released, hopefully next week, so keep your eyes peeled.  The property under the hammer is right across the UK - residential investments, commercial premises, buy to let opportunities, development sites, land, ground rents.... you want it, you can get it!

By registering to our website (£9.95 a month; £19.95 for 3 months), you have on-line access to