Property

Moving home to gain entry to a sought-after primary school can be a competitive business - not to mention expensive. If you're thinking of doing so, it pays to know how much properties in these areas can cost - and how long they take to be snapped up. New research has revealed the average house price close to the top 20 schools, as well as how long it takes to buy a property.

The former home of Audrey Hepburn in Switzerland is up for sale with a guide price of around £17,500,000 or CHF 19,000,000. Hepburn lived in the 12-bedroom eighteenth century Swiss home, La Paisible, which translates as The Peaceful, for 30 years. It is nestled in the picturesque village of Tolochenaz, near Lausanne, and offers a glimpse into the private world of one of Hollywood's most famous icons.

A seven-bedroom Grade II-listed castle in North Yorkshire has been put on the market for £7million. The 700 year-old property, called Kirby Knowles Castle, spans 14,208 sq ft and is set in 65 acres of land overlooking rural Yorkshire. Mary Queen of Scots was a frequent visitor to Kirby Knowles Castle at the time when Sir Thomas Rokeby, a knight and one of the justices of the King's Bench, owned the property. It later fell into disrepair after being empty since the 1950s.

There are only a handful of properties for sale in London that will be exempt from stamp duty from next week, research has found.

A Grade II-listed tower in Boughton, Northampton, is going up for auction with a guide price of £225,000 to £250,000. The converted eighteenth century Hawking Tower was built as a folly by the Second Earl of Strafford and Wentworth. Its construction was mentioned in a letter to Whig politician and author, Horace Walpole, in 1756.

Labour is pushing for more timber frame homes, saying they would be better for builders, and for the planet. Keir Starmer 's government wants to build 1.5million homes during the course of this parliament, and last month environment minister Mary Creagh unveiled plans to boost the number of those with a wooden framework. This is Money examines the pros and cons of timber frame properties, what they cost and whether or not they are likely to become widespread across Britain.

Labour has said it will train 60,000 new construction workers, as part of its mission to build 1.5million homes by the end of the current parliament in 2029. In the Spring Statement , Rachel Reeves confirmed plans for a £625million package aimed at ramping up the number of people across Britain who can build homes, and getting younger people into work. But one trades expert says 225,000 extra workers are needed, and Labour's plan to train 60,000 'barely makes a dent.'

As well as a cheaper cost of living and low taxes, Greece offers a golden visa for those investing in property in the country. It is no surprise Britons are flocking to Greece to retire or enjoy a better work life balance. This is Money reveals seven properties up for sale across Greece to suit a number of different budgets.

Keeping a property's exterior and garden clean and tidy can help boost a home's value by more than £26,000, or 10%, findings claim. We outline why keeping your garden in order is important from the perspective of a property's value. We also speak to a gardening expert about his five top tips to help get your garden in shape now.

More than half of properties in England fall below the C energy performance certificate rating which landlords will be required to meet by 2030, findings suggest. Of all the homes in the UK, including those owned by landlords and owner occupiers,  74,770 homes scored top marks with an A EPC rating according to an analysis by door and window supplier Eurocell.

Having recently started a new job in the area, I am considering buying a house close to Heathrow Airport. However, it would be heavily affected by the third runway expansion plans. It's a three-bedroom bedroom semi-detached house listed for £510,000 and it went on the market before the plans were announced by Rachel Reeves . It doesn't seem to be that cheap, can I negotiate more money off - what is the best way to do this?

Nathan Khider was a contestant on the latest series of the BBC 's hit television show The Traitors . The 39-year-old, a Faithful, was banished in the second episode. Now, however, Nathan's busying nurturing his property business, Nathan K Real Estate. The businessman is on the lookout for a buyer for a former funeral undertakers turned bachelor pad in London .

If you've been watching BBC One's Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job while languishing in the gloom of the British winter, you may be feeling inspired to take on a sunny property project of your own. The good news is that there are swathes of properties waiting to be loved and renovated across Spain and elsewhere. Last month, Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez declared that he wanted to ban non-EU citizens from buying homes in Spain in a bid to help quash the country's housing crisis. However, the plans remain firmly in the proposal stage and it remains unclear whether or not they will be implemented in the future.

Julius Pablo, 27, and his partner Raquel Robes, 31, are overjoyed at their recent property purchase. The couple have put down roots in a newly-built two-bedroom flat in Slough, having paid £425,000 for the property. In December, research by Rightmove found Slough was ranked as the most miserable place to live in Britain.

Nationwide has dealt first-time buyers on modest incomes a blow by upping the minimum income threshold on its sole applicant Helping Hand mortgage from £35,000 to £40,000. The minimum income for joint applicants has stayed the same, at £55,000, a spokesman for Nationwide said. The lender's Helping Hand mortgage is designed to give eligible first-time buyers the opportunity to borrow up to six times their annual income.

Seven years ago, I bought a property with a neighbour's shed encroaching on my land at the back of the garden. Though the estate agent made me aware of this at the time, it wasn't an issue for me as I didn't need a mortgage. However, I now wish to move house and the encroachment is proving to be to be a problem. What can I do?

A new family recently moved next door to us and appear to be very keen on leaf blowers. Every or every other day, the man of the household puts on his safety goggles and ear defenders and fires up the leaf blower. The leaf blowing seems to last for hours and can start before 8am in the morning. He even sometimes gives it a go when it's dark outside in the late afternoon.

An analysis of house prices, salaries and deposits every year since 1974 reveals how tough it can be for couples to buy their first home. House prices have surged by 2,534% in 50 years, while salary growth has failed to keep up, data shows. In 1974, the average cost of a home was £10,027. Fast-forward to 2024 and the figure is £254,985 higher, at £265,012, Mojo Mortgages said.

Prospective buyers on the hunt for something a bit different can snap up a piano factory or old boarding school house. On Wednesday 11 December, London's last piano factory is going up for auction via Savills. The entire site is vast, spanning over 25,000 sq. ft. Alternatively, also going up for auction is a grand Grade II-listed former boarding school currently used as a four-bedroom family home.

A two-bedroom 2,759 sq ft triplex penthouse located in the heart of Westminster, London, has gone on sale for £3,950,000. The unique flat is located at Whitehall Court, the former home of MI6 spymaster Sir Mansfield Cumming and screenwriter Brian Clemens.

The cost of getting building work done by tradespeople is surging and has risen to over £12,000, new data from Checkatrade reveals. While prices are on the up, the quality of tradespeople, however, remains mixed, with roofers being dubbed the least trustworthy, according to the platform. Checkatrade said roofers had the worst-rated review scores on its platform. It claimed roofers were more likely to be 'declined' from the Checkatrade platform than any other tradesperson

Garage conversions are growing in popularity as homeowners opt to improve rather than move, according to research from MyBuilder.com. Britons are letting their creative juices flow and creating cinema rooms, offices, annexes, playrooms, craft rooms and even bars in their garages. Susi Prudence, a 39-year-old copywriter from Maidstone, converted half of her double garage in her new-build house into a bar.

I 'm a first-time buyer and have fallen in love with a three-bedroom cottage dating back to the eighteenth century. It beats the grisly flats I've been looking at in more expensive areas hands down, but is in less commutable spot than I'd hoped. The cottage is Grade II-listed, which does concern me a little, particularly as I'm not a property guru. What should I be aware of before buying?

We moved into our house last year and the property needs extensive renovation and extensions. While getting works done, we've had to use a number of skips. The skips are always placed on our driveway. Are there rules against this sort of thing? What can we do to prevent this and get the problem resolved?

How far away from our boundary fence and house should a trampoline be under privacy law, please? We have to keep all doors, windows, air vents and curtains closed because of our neighbours' noisy children on a trampoline and in a kids swimming pool abutting our boundary fence. When I finally sent a polite text to my neighbour requesting them to quieten down, the response was 'no', followed by several malicious communications. What can I do? This can't continue.

We recently moved into a 1930s three-bedroom semi-detached house. It's spacious inside and we like the area. Unlike some of the properties we viewed, the house has been updated to a high standard inside. The exterior of the property is pebbledash, which I'd say is a sandy brown colour. Our neighbours and quite a few others on the street have the same pebbledash on their properties. Should we remove our pebbledash?

We bought our current home eight years ago. On either side of the garden is bamboo, planted by previous owners. We're no experts, but it appears to be two different types, one is close to our conservatory and the other is towards the back of the garden, near the shed office. Recently, I've noticed the occasional odd shoot a good distance away from the plant coming up through the grass. What should we do?

We've just bought our first home and it comes with a nice compact 20ft garden. However, it's quite overgrown and we're not all that green-fingered. We want to put down an artificial lawn so we don't have the upkeep of constantly cutting grass and de-weeding. Is it a good idea?

Moving to a sun-kissed island for a slower pace of life is a dream held by many. But even if you have the funds and the freedom to do so, getting the right to live permanently in a different country often brings complications. Five countries in the Caribbean are willing to help expats with that, however - on the condition that they buy a property or invest money in the area. In some countries, properties that qualify for the 'citizenship by investment' scheme cost £100,000 less than the average UK home. MailOnline explains how these 'citizenship by investment' schemes work, and looks at some of the eligible properties on the market right now.

Friday 30 August is set to be the busiest day of the year to move home, with over 20,000 moves expected, findings claim. For the last 12 years, August has been the busiest month to move and on 30 August, four times more households than average plan to move, according to the HomeOwners Alliance (HOA) and Reallymoving. Moving is a notoriously stressful, time-consuming and costly affair. With the help of experts, This is Money reveals eight tips to help streamline the process.

The opening of Jeremy Clarkson 's pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall near Burford in Oxfordshire, has prompted a flurry of online searches for properties in Burford, according to Rightmove. During the bank holiday weekend, the number of searches for homes in Burford was 63% higher than the same period a year ago, the data suggests. This is Money reveals six properties on sale in or near Burford via Rightmove.

House prices will rise by an average of £61,500 in the next five years according to estate agent Savills, after it revised its prediction upwards from six months ago. The average value of a home in Britain is forecast to increase 21.6% by the end of 2028, according to Savills. It has also revised its annual forecast, which now stands at an increase of 2.5% for 2024. Savills had previously expected house prices to fall by 3% this year, but made the revision on the back of falls in the cost of mortgage debt.

The penthouse is part of Flete House Tower, which is set in 12 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds in the village of Ermington, two miles from the town of Ivybridge. The apartment for sale is number 21 and is in the tower, accessed from the ground floor via a staircase or lift.

Aberdeen tops the list of the cheapest cities to be a first-time buyer while the most expensive is London. And for tenants, the cheapest city is Carlisle, while the most expensive is also London. For those who can afford to save a good sized deposit of at least 20 per cent, it is cheaper to pay a monthly mortgage than rent in each of the largest cities in Britain.

A unique opportunity to convert four silos into a luxury family home is available after planning permission was granted on a piece of land in West Norfolk. Silos are used in farming to store grain or fermented feed for animals, but these structures are set to get a new lease of life as the local authority has given the green light for them to be converted into a three-bedroom home. The land is currently for sale with a price tag of £200,000, and the conversion will take considerably more funds to complete.

We speak to current owners Alan Walker and his wife Sandy, who bought the detached modernist property in the Essex town of Loughton in 2013. They are the third owners of Sussex House, which was originally built in 1965 and lived in by the architect Geoffrey Bateman. The estate agent handling the sale of the property is Savills, which is advertising it with a price tag of £1.85million.