Foxtons has lived and breathed London and its ever-changing housing market for
almost 40 years. Since before Canary Wharf became a world financial hub and the
DLR took its first journey, when Stratford's Olympic Park was still a contaminated
wasteland and King's Cross had yet to be transformed by vast flows of investment
and development, we have been helping Londoners find homes.
LONDON IS A WORLD-CLASS CITY FOR
BUSINESS, EDUCATION, RETAIL, NIGHTLIFE AND
CULTURE; YET FOR SO MANY, IT IS SIMPLY HOME.
Focus on the future
Constantly evolving throughout its history,
the capital is in a continued state of planning,
development and growth. Not only has the
skyline transformed beyond recognition in
recent years, so too have Londoners and how
and where they want to live. More people call
London home than ever before, and the
population continues to grow, estimated to
reach 10m by the 2030s and 11.5m by 2050,
giving London 'Super City' status.
Investment in transport infrastructure has
made a huge difference to the way that
Londoners live and work, acting as a catalyst
for large scale redevelopment and investment
and pivotal in the opening up of new parts of
London. Meanwhile, with house price growth
and the increased costs of buying and living,
affordability constraints have played a
growing role in Londoners' decision making.
The long-term appeal of investing in London's
housing market is well established. The
relative economic and political security and
proven long-term price growth have enticed
investors for years. Prices across the capital
more than doubled between 2009 and 2017,
while currency fluctuations have variously
benefitted overseas buyers at different points.
That said, in the more recent past, wider policy
initiatives, interventions and other concerns
have combined to change the profile and
motivations of buyers. Traditional investors
are much less prevalent than in previous years,
giving way to occupiers buoyed by schemes
such as Help to Buy.
At the same time, private renting has become
the tenure of choice for many and this
sector has also changed substantially. With
the advent of professional landlords and
purpose-built Build to Rent schemes, private
landlords have been forced to improve
accommodation standards. 7 MILLION
275,000
1/4
MILLION
PROPERTIES
SOLD OR LET
JUST UNDER
VIEWINGS
APPLICANTS
PER YEAR
across the Foxtons
network since 2004,
345,000 in 2019
alone.
Foxtons
over 4 million
since 2004.
across the Foxtons
network since 2004,
28% sales and
72% lettings.
SOLD LET
Source: Foxtons
The London Report | The London Market 13