Birmingham Post - Tag - city living

Falling values and finance obstacles hit investors at The Cube in Birmingham

Birmingham Post — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:40:00 GMT

Investors struggling to secure finance for apartments they bought at The Cube four years ago are facing interest charges of £600 per month until they complete.

Birmingham banking on city living boom to power growth

Birmingham Post — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:33:00 GMT

A revival in city centre living is at the heart of Birmingham’s 20-year development strategy. Public Affairs Correspondent Paul Dale reports.

Birmingham city centre apartment prices slump, but the market will recover eventually

Birmingham Post — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:00:00 GMT

The young professionals in newly-built Birmingham city centre apartments might be surprised, alarmed even, to discover they paid over the odds to live in properties written off by a Conservative councillor as the “slums of tomorrow”.

Pop stars helping Rotunda apartments through recession

Birmingham Post — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:01:00 GMT

Bookings from international pop stars and actors are helping one of Birmingham’s most prestigious apartment blocks survive the recession after other clients had to cut back on their expenses budgets.

Digbeth pub The Rainbow facing closure after noise complaints

Birmingham Post — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:33:00 GMT

A popular Digbeth venue could close because of complaints about music from local residents living in newly-built flats in the area.

Reposessions distort Birmingham house price average, says agent

Birmingham Post — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:56:00 GMT

One of Birmingham’s leading estate agents has blamed the number of reposessions for distorting figures that suggested the city had seen the biggest fall in apartment values.

City living agent moves out of Birmingham

Birmingham Post — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:43:00 GMT

An estate agent specialising in city centre living has closed its Birmingham office, saying there was not enough activity in the area's housing market.

City Living on the up in the West Midlands

Birmingham Post — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:03:00 GMT

City living is on the increase across the West Midlands with Birmingham and Solihull leading the way in building new apartments and houses, a study has shown.

An easier step on to the housing ladder

Birmingham Post — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:16:00 GMT

Brand new apartments in the city centre can still be had for under £100,000, if you know where to look. And an emerging conversion scheme by the Bullring is the latest chance for hard-pressed purchasers to bag some city living for a rare five-figure sum.The development is The Brolly Works, the conversion of the former RTP Crisps factory, in a prime location just behind Selfridges, close to Moor Street Station and The Custard Factory. And prices start at an eye-catching £99,950 for an individual studio apartment home formed from the 19th century building. This weekend sees the official launch of the new apartments, a range of styles including one and two-bedroom layouts. "Although the apartments at The Brolly Works may be reasonably priced, they are nothing like the identical, modern little boxes you might expect for this sort of money," says Donna Smith, of selling agents Connells. The building is named for one of its previous roles as an umbrella factory, which dates from 1867. Setting it apart from most new-build schemes are the retained architectural features, including original brickwork, beams, high ceilings and some enormous windows. It is all good raw material for an interesting range of converted homes, all set off with modern comforts. "The Brolly Works offers an irresistible combination - a real sense of history, high specification, fantastic location - and all for a very reasonable price," says Donna. Although the sales launch is this weekend, more than half the available apartments have already been reserved. Connells' new Digbeth office at Bradford Street is handling the sales during the launch event, starting tomorrow at midday. Details from 0121 773 4806 On the city fringe, first-time buyers are being offered homes priced from as little as £51,750. The special low price tags are available under a new initiative aimed at giving lower earners a leg up on to the property ladder. There are 31 properties newly available in Fordbridge, North Solihull, earmarked for first-time purchasers with local roots. English Partnerships' government backed First Time Buyers Initiative (FTBI) offers assistants to those with household income of less than £60,000. English Partnerships provides between 25 and 50 per cent of the purchase price, which need only be paid back when the property is sold. There are 97 houses and apartments being developed at Chapel Walk, part of the £1.8 billion Regenerating North Solihull scheme which is aimed at improving areas of Chelmsley Wood, Smith's Wood. Kingshurst and Fordbridge. Stephen Rose, sales director of Bellway Homes West Midlands, says: "Being able to offer homes to first-time buyers from as little as £51,750 is a tremendous accolade for the Regenerating North Solihull project, Providing better housing choice is a key aim, and the apartments and houses on offer at Chapel Walk will significantly raise the bar in terms of quality of accommodation in Fordbridge." Bellway is one of four partners in the North Solihull scheme, together with the Whitefriars Housing Group and Solihull Council. Some 8,000 new homes will be built over 15 years, 12,500 homes will be refurbished and there will be 10 new primary schools and five village centres with further investment in open spaces and infrastructure. First-time buyers will need to prove eligibility for the financial support and be able to pay a five per cent deposit. There will be no rent to pay on the government-subsidised element of the property but there will be phased paybacks after three years, initially one per cent of the contribution, payable by the month. This rises to two per cent in the second year, then to three per cent, where it is pegged. The buyer holds on to to 100 per cent of the property title. The idea is to encourage people to "staircase" their way up to full ownership, in easy payments. They can do this at any time i

City living for families

Birmingham Post — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:54:00 GMT