GE instructs Agent to sell The Ark

Hammersmith Surveyors – One of Britain’s most famous ‘white elephants’, (a building constructed at great expense but left unoccupied)  which stood empty between its construction in 1991 and an internal £20m refurbishment in 2006, is now being offered to potential buyers at an asking price of £78.7m. The property, known as ‘The Ark’ due to its shape, is the iconic headquarters of General Electric in Hammersmith.

This will give a 6.5% yield for the 166,000 sq ft building and interest is expected to be high as the Hammersmith and Chiswick markets have been thriving both in terms of occupier and investment deals in recent times. Find a local surveyor in Hammersmith and Fulham here or elsewhere here.

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England’s most expensive streets

Certain areas of Britain have also been shown to be extremely property rich recently. Around 185 streets in England has an average property price over £1m, with some of the most expensive being Scargate (Yorkshire), Sedley Taylor Road (Cambridge), Sandbanks (Poole), Quarry Park Road (Stourbridge) and Druidstone Road (Cardiff).

We have local, Chartered Surveyors in all of these areas. If you are thinking of purchasing property, or need a professional opinion on a property you already own, find your local surveyor here.

Vast development on Salford Quays Up for Sale

Manchester Surveyor – Property giant Savills have justbegun marketing a huge 433,600 sq ft development on the fringes of Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, with an official guide price of £32.5m.

The property contains seven office buildings with floorplates stretching from sub-1,000 sq ft to 12,300 sq ft. There are also 2,149 car parking spaces.

Our surveyors specialise in Asset Management work and large scale surveying instructions. For developments like this, our surveyors in Manchester are an experienced, professional and reliable choice.

Birmingham Council most Successful in Floundering RTB Scheme

Birmingham Surveyors – Of the currently ailing Right to Buy scheme, Birmingham Council has received the most expressions of interest with 696, but sold just 65 properties in April.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association blamed the mortgage market for the disparity. ‘The LGA will continue to press the government for a review of the right to buy policy after one year,’ he said.

The floundering Right to Buy scheme is the subject of a new article in our monthly newsletter. Subscribe via this link.

Sussex pub grabs pub of the year accolade

Brighton Surveyors – One of Sussex’s finest local pubs has recently been blessed the with accolade of CAMRA Regional Pub of the Year 2012 and will soon compete with 15 other regional winners for National Pub of the Year 2012.

The award goes to the Wilkes Head, named after 18th century radical John Wilkes, which is a pleasant red brick structure in the classic country pub mould.

If you own a pub, maintaining aesthetics can be important to attracting business. Obtaining advice from a local Chartered Surveyor regarding how you can solve unsightly defects could be a sensible investment. Find your local surveyor here.

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Manor designed by creator of Buckingham Palace up for sale

Oswestry Surveyors – Aston Webb’s most famous work may be Buckingham Palace in London, England, but he also created other masterpieces, of which the Manor at Yeaton Peverey is one. A Grade II* listed masterpiece of the 19th century, with 6 acres, 12 bedrooms, a swimming pool, tennis court and wine cellar, this property is almost unique in its grandeur and is located just East of Oswestry, Shropshire. (Follow the link to a local Chartered Building Surveyor)

On the market for £2.9m, this truly is a surveyor’s dream.

Wind Farms Revealed Officially to Reduce Property Prices

Property Surveying – The Valuation Agency Office (VAO), a subsidiery of Revenue & Customs, has recently revealed that it has down-graded council tax bands for a number of homes situated near clusters of wind farms. The reason is that the values of these homes have been forced markedly down by the presence of the turbines, in some cases, for example at Fullabrook Down in North Devon, by as much as a quarter of the total value even as far as 650 yards away from the installation.

A Halifax survey, however, found that the most prolific reducer of value is actualy noisy neighbours, with 17 per cent of homeowners affected by this issue to the tune of an average £31,000 reduction.

For advice on your property’s value, find your local surveyor here.

Sussex Employment Boom Hopes to fuel Property Recovery

Brighton and Hove Surveyors – A reported ‘boom’ in employment levels across Sussex has taken place, with super markets and an insurance firm bucking the national trend and creating hundreds jobs through investment.

Asda is creating at least 500 jobs, Sainsbury’s 400 vacancies and Insurance firm Hastings Direct 200 new jobs over the next 12 months. The hope is that this increased level of economic activity will positively affect the local property market.

Now could therefore be the time to buy property in Sussex; beating future house rises. If you wish to invest, get professional advice from a local Chartered Surveyor here.

Beautiful York Manor Up for Sale

York Building Surveyors – A surveyor’s dream job, and one that many companies will be vying for, has recently come to the market in the form of Middlethorpe Manor, the former residence of Terry’s Chocolate Orange creator Sir Francis Terry.

The Grade II-listed house is situated near the luxury hotel ‘Middlethorpe Hall’ and just down the road from the famed chocolate factory, which was recently put up for sale earlier this year. Middlethorpe Manor is a snip at £4m and interest is expected to be high.

If you have or are looking to buy a large property, it is always pragmatic to commission a survey and uncover any hidden defects. Find your local surveyor at propertysurveying.co.uk

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Four New Residential Construction Schemes Set For Manchester

Manchester Surveyors  – Four new residential construction schemes on the fringes of Manchester City Centre could be ‘shovel ready’ as soon as the end of this year, following up to £11m of Government funding through the ‘Get Britain Building Initiative’.

The developments could be a valuable stimulus to Manchester’s property market and wider economy, although some of the designs have not be met with overwhelming support.

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