London City Property News

Are you looking for Fact or Fiction?

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:10:00 +0000

Are you looking for Fact or Fiction?

At Callum Roberts you get BOTH!

Get the FICTION:
If you are looking to buy or rent a flat in March 2010 and view a property with us - we will give you a FREE* novel!

Are you considering selling or renting your property?

Sign up for a free, no obligation sales or lettings market appraisal of your property with us and get a FREE*novel!

Get the FACTS:
Call Dillon Callum or Shannon Fizer on: 020 7242 9977 to schedule your viewing or free market appraisal today!

Or check out our website at
http://www.callumroberts.com/

*Novel by the bestselling Author ‘James Twining’: ‘The Double Eagle’ OR ‘The Black Sun’ - While supplies last. Only one book per client. Offer has no cash value or alternative.

James Twinings latest book: 'The Geneva Deception' is available at all good bookshops. To learn more about the author James Twining, visit: http://www.jamestwining.com/

It’s a Seller’s Market in Central London!

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:01:00 +0000

It’s a Seller’s Market in Central London!

According to the Office of National Statistics yesterday, the UK is officially out of recession. They used Britain’s GDP for the last three months of 2009 as their measure of economic health, but here at Callum Roberts we use property prices and number of sales as our measure of the economy. And I am happy to report that in the property market in Central London we are seeing signs of green shoots as well.

Since the start of the year we have had more and more buyers come into the office looking for property to buy of all shapes and sizes and at all price points. The problem is that we are running out of properties to offer them. Normally when someone comes in looking for a one bedroom flat in Bloomsbury or Clerkenwell we would have three or four to show them. At the moment we only have one left and it looks like I’ll be getting an offer on that this week as well!

In fact, there has been a significant lack of properties put for sale in Central London in the last couple of months. Generally everyone who had to sell due to a job loss or lack of capital did so at the end of 2008. Most owners in the area can afford to wait until buyers are plentiful and property prices come back up. This means that the few properties which do go on the market tend to sell quickly for close to the asking price. Property prices in several areas have come back up to close to their peak.

However, there are indications that more properties will be coming up for sale in the spring as the UK begins to recover from the recession. If you are a looking to sell your property, now is a great time to put your property on the market as the lack of other properties for sale means demand, and prices, remains high.

Recently Sold

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Laystall Court, Bloomsbury, WC1 £399,950

A pleasant two double bedroom 5th floor apartment that is located on Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant is a very quiet Road situated between Grays Inn Road and Rosebery Avenue and is walking distance to Chancery Lane Underground Station. This flat features a large entrance hallway and reception room with wood bock flooring, separate modernized fitted kitchen, two double bedrooms and a modernized bathroom with separate WC. This property is very well presented and offers good sized accommodation.

Recently sold studio flat Bloomsbury WC1

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Medway Court, Bloomsbury, WC1 £175,000

A studio flat ideally located for both Kings Cross & Euston mainline and underground stations, but also Russell Square underground station. Located within this purpose built block, this property has been recently redecorated and features a pleasant west facing studio room, separate kitchen and three piece bathroom. As with all flats within this block, this property has access to a very pleasant private garden.

New negotiator at Callum Roberts!

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:18:00 +0000

Hello all, my name is Shannon Fizer and I am the new Sales and Lettings Negotiator here at Callum Roberts.

I have just finished the coursework for my MBA in Finance and am working on my thesis. I'm a Canadian who has been living overseas for several years, most recently in Zurich, Switzerland.

For those who wonder why I would leave such a lovely place as Canada, I have to say that I am from a small town in the middle of the dull empty bit in the middle of the country. I am most definitely a city person, but I’ve never experienced anything like London before! So much history and so much going on all the time, plus great shopping, I love it. Although one of the funniest things is that I am probably one of the few people to arrive here and think that property prices are cheap – because compared to prices in Zurich, they are!

I am really looking forward to working for Callum Roberts, where I can do both sales and lettings, all in the heart of London. There is so much to learn about the different neighborhoods in Central London, such as Bloomsbury, Clerkenwell and the City. Each area has its own unique selling points and beautiful buildings. Already I am regaling my parents with stories of celebrities passed in the street (I bumped into Rupert Everett on my second day!) and flats for sale in ‘famous’ buildings such as Florin Court (which is better known as the home of Hercule Poirot in the TV series).

I look forward to meeting everyone in the neighborhood, so please drop by the office soon.

Now is the right time to buy property

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:45:00 +0000

With many conflicting surveys and data regarding property prices and the state of the housing market, many are asking if now is the right time to step into the property market.

This is especially true for first time buyers.

Dillon Callum of Callum Roberts Property Consultants in London was asked this question on BBC1 Breakfast Business news this morning (Monday 8th June 2009).

Click here to watch the report.

Courtesy of BBC Breakfast News

Dillon & Shaun Jump for Charity

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Shaun getting ready for his jump.

No going back!

He is 'The Man'

Dillon has left the plane!

It is a very long way to go - but it wont take that long at 120mph

Dillon starting to enjoy it!

Hey, I can see my first property from here!

Shaun Roberts, Jenny Mole and Dillon Callum at Langar Airfield, Nottingham.

Dillon & Shaun carry out a jump for charity!

In an effort to raise money for charity, the boys at Callum Roberts Property Consultants took to the sky.

13,100 ft above the skies of Nottingham - a far cry away from Holborn and the City of London, both Dillon and Shaun proved once and for all that they are game for a laugh.

Neither showed any nerves when the doors of the plane opened and it was time to jump and was joined by Jenny Mole of Nottingham, who was raising money for the NSPCC.

As in previous years, money was raised by Dillon & Shaun of Callum Roberts for St Christopher's Hospice - This jump raising to date around about £1000.00

Now it is time to get our feet back on the ground in sunny Bloomsbury and get back to selling houses!

We would like to thank all of our family, friends and clients who supported this worthy cause!

Green shoots?

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Are we there yet?

With record low interest rates and heavily discounted property prices, we have many people coming into our offices asking 'Are we there yet?'

Are we at the bottom of the market.

I sincerely hope we are, but it may take until April at the earliest before we can head off on our return journey to recovery.

House prices in Bloomsbury, Holborn and the City have held up pretty well all things considered and even the rental prices in these areas have been pretty resilient to the massive falls seen elsewhere in London.

If we were adding to the debate on weather it is the right time to buy or not, we would say 'yes'.

Every downturn is followed at some point by an upturn. Just because the house prices in the last recession (yes, we can say it now) took years to come back again, does not mean that the same can be said again of this one.

Whilst we will not see the huge leaps in prices that we have seen so quickly recently, things may not take as long to come back this time round.

Much of what is holding people back from buying is not the prices, but the fact that people are finding it hard to get finance.

Firstly, lets see which banks are left standing come April, then we will have to see how we do as an economy at that point. If we as a country are not ourselves bankrupt, we may see the green shoots this side of 2010 (as long as the banks that are left, start lending).

Hosier lane, London Ec1

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:32:00 +0000

10 Hosier Lane, City, London EC1 £345,000
One double bedroom apartment which is situated on the first floor of this modern development located in the City of London. The flat has views of the internal courtyard from both the reception room and the bedroom, and has wood flooring from the hallway to the reception. The bathroom is fully tiled in limestone tiles and the kitchen is equipped to a high standard. The building has a 24 hour concierge with CCTV monitoring and a large waiting area with plasma screens. This property is walking distance to St. Paul’s and Smithfields.

Property Sold in Leigh Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Leigh Street, Bloomsbury, WC1 £550,000
Ground floor two double bedroom maisonette with private garden, located just off Marchmont Street, near Russell Square and The Brunswick Centre. Situated within a period building, this property offers great potential and is a good overall size with many period features. The property also has gas fired central heating.

Properties for Sale by Callum Roberts

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:09:00 +0000

An interesting note as we go into the New Year.

A recent survey has shown that out of the 14 agents listed in the Holborn area of Central London, Callum Roberts has the highest average property price of £929,883.

With 2009 looking to be one of the most challenging years in the property market for some time, it is nice to know that Callum Roberts are showing the way forward as THE independent estate agents in WC1, Bloomsbury, Holborn and the City of London!

Mortgage Rationing Gets Tougher (Source BBC)

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:14:00 +0000

5th January 2009

BBC Business News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7811357.stm

Signs of Property Recovery?

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:31:00 +0000

Dillon Callum MNAEA (Callum Roberts Director)

Are we seeing the first signs of a property recovery?

Dillon Callum MNAEA (Callum Roberts Director)
Are we seeing the first signs of a property recovery?

November and December are usually seen as a quite time in the housing market here in Holborn and Bloomsbury.

This is also usually the case seen across London and the country as a whole.

However, at our Holborn office over the last 6 weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of serious enquiries, some of which have turned into sales offers.

This has been reflected in a recent survey by RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and a separate one by The Council of Mortgage lenders. Both have seen a rise in enquiries and Mortgage offers, which is the first time this has happened for two years.

House prices across the country fell by 16 percent last year, although prices in Central London, The City and Bloomsbury have only seen falls in the single percentage point range.

As the pre - Christmas sales in the retail shops begin to take hold, it seems that there are many who see a bargain or two in Bloomsbury and The City housing market and are making the most of it by securing these bargains now.

It is anyones guess what is going to happen next year and the first quarter will be closely watched by economists across the globe.

The pound is weak, as is confidence. The Government has reduced VAT to 15 percent (as a temporary measure) and the Bank of England have reduced the base rate to 2.0 percent. Maybe these measures are beginning to help bring back a flurry of much needed activity?

If only the high street Banks would release their purse strings and start lending at rates which reflect the historically low base rate. Only then will we see stabilisation and a full recovery will (in our opinion) begin to take hold.

To see our appearance on Channel Four News on 9 December 2008 and the interview with Dillon Callum on this subject, please click the link shown on this page.

At least for the time being, it seems that with the recent activity we have had in our market, we might be able to afford a turkey for our Christmas dinner after all!

Callum Roberts Charity Events

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:54:00 +0000

In support of 'St Christopher's Hospice', we organised a Charity 'Oscar Style Awards' dinner and dance in September 2007.

The year since this event has flown by, but the memory of the night is still fresh in the minds of all of those who attended.

Among the one hundred and ten guests was Belinda Kearns and her partner Paul who attended on the behalf of St Christopher's.

The event was held at the home of Callum Roberts Director Dillon Callum and his wife Paula, while the other Director, Shaun Roberts, ensured that the purse strings were firmly held to make sure that as much money as possible could be raised on the night.

At the end of the night, we managed to raise £2000.00

As a supporter of St Christopher's Hospice, Shaun was invited to attend a reception at The London Guildhall along with the Charities Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra and Dillon's mum, Phyllis.

This year, Dillon & Paula attended the St Christopher's 40th year reception, which was held in November at St James Palace in London.

HRH Princess Alexandra hosted the evening and kindly allowed guests to visit the 'throne room'.

Given that St James' Palace is the home of HRH Princess Alexandra, all who attended felt privileged to have received such gracious hospitality from HRH personally.

We at Callum Roberts will be trying to offer the Charity more time for fund raising in 2009 and both Dillon & Shaun may even carry out a aeroplane 'jump' at some point. Now that is something worth watching our blog to see photos of!

Photo 1 shows Paula Callum and HRH Princess Alexandra
Photo 2 shows Shaun Roberts and Phyliss Callum with HRH Princess Alexandra
Photo 3 shows Callum Roberts 2007 Awards dinner
Photo 4 shows Belinda Kearns of St Christophers Hospice speaking at Callum Roberts Awards dinner
Photo 5 shows Dillon Callum hosting Awards dinner

For more about St Christophers Hospice click here or visit www.stchristophers.org.uk

American Embassy Sale, London W1

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:31:00 +0000

It was confirmed that The American Embassy, London W1 was put up for sale last week.

Set in the heart of Mayfair, which is one of London's most prestigious areas and situated on Grosvenor Square, the Embassy and its iconic 1960's built building has towered over the area that was once known as 'Little America' for longer than most people care to remember.

The building which is currently heavily fortified, measures approximately 225,000 sq ft and has over 600 rooms with over 900 people working from it.

One of approximately 21 U.S. Embassy's around the world to be sold off by the Americans, the London Embassy is probably one of the most high profile sites that are for the chop in search of more secure and modern buildings.

Dillon Callum was asked by ITN news for their 'London Tonight' programme which was aired on Thursday 2nd October 2008, what he thought the building would sell for in the current market conditions.

£300,000,000 was his answer, even in today's market, which has seen property prices in London fall for the first time since the 'Credit Crunch' began.

With large new sites becoming increasingly hard to come by in central London, Dillon feels that this figure is really just a 'ballpark starting figure' and the Embassy may well fetch well in excess of this should a 'bidding war' commence with a developer who wishes to raise the ante from the current 'hot property', Candy & Candys' flagship 1 Hyde Park development, which is located only a few minutes down the road from Grosvernor Square.

The Americans have been associated with Grovsveror Sqaure since the late eighteenth century, when John Adams (later to become the President of the United States) lived in the square from 1785 to 1788. The house in which he lived still stands in the square on the corner of Brook Street and Duke Street.

As English Heritage would like the Embassy Building which was designed by Eero Saarinen to become 'Listed', the final selling price of the building may well come down to how successful the Americans are in fighting this plan.

The site could be turned into an exciting luxury residential complex or a five star plus luxury hotel.

One thing is for sure and that is local residents will not be sorry to see the Embassy go.

Maybe, for once, when the locals see the Embassy staff move out and us Estate agents move in for the re-sales, we will have people welcoming us agents with open arms!

Stamp Duty Suspension

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:55:00 +0000

At last, some good news from the Government.

Today we have heard that Stamp Duty will be suspended on house purchases up to £175,000.

At first glance, this will have little effect on our business, as our typical transaction in Bloomsbury and The City is over £300,000.

But it is good news anyway, as this should bring in some first time buyers at the lower end of the market, which should have an onwards and upwards effect on us eventually.

We have said for some time that it will be around 18 months for things to get better in the property market and today's news could not have come at a better time to start this clock for recovery.

Lettings business has increased by about 50% in the last 3 - 4 months

noreply@blogger.com (The Editor) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:05:00 +0000

Stamp Duty Suspension?

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:07:00 +0000

What is going on with the government and various MP's ability to muck up what is by all intense and purposes, the most challenging times we have seen in the property market for some time.

We have seen a number of purchaser's pull out of sales because they have heard on the news that Stamp Duty is being suspended.

That is simply not the case (yet!!!).

An MP has gone on air and said that they are 'thinking about suspending the duty on house sales' but these words have been taken literally and now we are all suffering.

Making a saving of thousands in this difficult time is worth hanging on for if you can.

Joanna Cook, our new sales member has seen a number of people coming through the door of Callum Roberts Holborn office, asking what she knows about the suspension of Stamp Duty.

How would she know if the MP's who are making the decisions themselves have no idea?

Bring on some positive 'factual' news please Allister Darling, so we can get on with what we do best, selling houses!

STAGFLATION FEARS for housing market

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:38:00 +0000

Once again, property is back on the news!

This time it is the fear of 'Stagflation' that is causing those in the City to shiver at the prospect that we are heading for a downturn in the market.

What is 'Stagflation'?
Stagflation is where a recession combined with inflation strangles the economy. There is little doubt that we have seen an end to ever increasing house prices.

Dillon Callum added his voice to the growing chorus of top City professionals when interviewed for Channel 4 News.

The 'Credit Crunch' is not just affecting those of lower incomes.
Dillon explained that those of higher incomes are having their ability to purchase properties eroded by the fact that the banks are tightening lending criteria.

Whereas previously, if you had a good broker and you wanted to by a property, lenders were queuing to lend with little or no checks, they are now going to extremes to lend even to the most brighter than bright high earners. These are the earners that have even brighter accountants that in the past have saved thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Tax for their clients.

This situation is not helping the housing market.
We have many clients who in theory can afford to buy but can't.

How long will this go on?
Lets ask Gordon Brown!

ATTENTION Landlords! Now is the time to rent

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:08:00 +0000

With all the national news focusing on the downturn in the property market, Callum Roberts are finding an unexpected upturn in rentals.

Recent Property Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:15:00 +0000

Contact Callum Roberts Property Consultants for a list of the most recent transactions we have concluded on behalf of clients. This information should be used for guidance and information purposes only and should further detail be needed, please contact Dillon Callum.

What is really the case with property prices?

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:58:00 +0000

Are we all going to suffer as we did in the early 90's?

Well - we think not!

There are many people out there who are still looking to buy a house or flat.

Many of us still have secure jobs and other than the fact that petrol prices are sky high and food prices are going up, we are still able to make ends meet.

We still need somewhere to live and with that, things still have to go on.

So unless the banks do something really silly (and lets face it, it was the banks that got the property /economy in the mess that we are in, in the first place with reckless lending - not the estate agents as many people had wanted to think before!) we should see our way through this without the mass chaos that we had in the 90's.

Lets wait and see if they will pass on some interest rate cuts!

We dont think these cuts will come this month (we dont think the bank of England will cut rates again in May - but they should do in June)

At that point we should see the banks do the right thing and get things back to some kind of normality!

Tuesday 8 April 2008 12:48

noreply@blogger.com (The Editor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Tune in to Channel 4, at 7pm today for the lead story...
http://www.callumroberts.org

t 020 7242 9977

Join the property price debate with Dillon Callum 'live' on Channel4 television

noreply@blogger.com (The Editor) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:51:00 +0000

Dillon Callum (Director of Callum Roberts) has been invited to Channel4 studios this evening to join in live debate at 7pm this evening on Channel 4 television

Click here to review midday news stream from Channel4.com

Callum Roberts specialise in The City and The City fringe areas of London.

Join the live debate at 7pm this evening and post your comments on our blog.

Recently Sold Grade II Listed Georgian House Bloomsbury WC1

noreply@blogger.com (Callum Roberts) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 15:19:00 +0000

John Street, Bloomsbury, WC1 £2,200,000

Spacious five storey Georgian Grade II listed building that is approximately 4,900 sq ft. The property is currently used as an office building and we are told by the current owner that planning has been granted to convert the property back to residential use. Many period features remain in the building, including decorative coving to ceilings and feature fireplaces. This property is ideal for family use as it is situated between Gray’s Inn, Holborn and Coram Fields, and can be modelled to suit modern family life with the benefits of a large flexible period property.