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Tag: Savills

Are we ignoring one of the biggest construction opportunities out there?

Are we ignoring one of the biggest construction opportunities out there?

One of the greatest challenges for the nation is to repurpose its outmoded built environment to better match the needs of a vastly changed world. It needs to adapt offices and shops to fit with the Internet age. It needs to meet the environmental challenges. It needs to improve all forms of communication. And not last and definitely not least it needs to adapt and expand its stock of housing to meet massive demographic shifts. This is a topic that…

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Build more student accommodation, free up homes for families – good idea

Build more student accommodation, free up homes for families – good idea

There seems to be too few easy options for relieving the housing crisis at the moment and certainly too few win-win options. It’s unlikely we’ll find a single solution to the mess we find ourselves in and the answers may not necessarily be solely found in building more houses, but using those we have better. So one thought that has fascinated me for ages is whether building more bespoke student accommodation to release rented private homes could be one. Well…

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There may be less work in 2012, but that doesn’t mean less opportunity for smart construction firms

There may be less work in 2012, but that doesn’t mean less opportunity for smart construction firms

Expect 2012 to start with industry forecasters shading down their estimates for construction growth. But while workload is likely to decrease in 2012, that does not mean that the opportunities for smart thinking and resourceful construction firms need also shrink. I would argue that the very decline in the economy and the stresses caused open up scope for entrepreneurial thinkers with ideas for improving the built environment.

Forecasters expect a fall in house prices in 2011

Forecasters expect a fall in house prices in 2011

We are beginning to see the end of year-ish reading of the runes for the housing market result in a series of forecasts for price movements in 2011. On balance the forecasts point to a drop, mainly on the back of fears over unemployment rising along with concerns among some economists about the start of rising interest rates in the year. Here is a selected list of recent forecasts listed from the more bullish to more bearish, with their last year punts…

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It’s a long wait yet for commercial construction upswing

It’s a long wait yet for commercial construction upswing

Each time a commercial property developer hints at making a move in the market I am confronted with the same question by those with an interest in construction work: Is this the start of the upswing? This question is usually followed by the suggestion that developers must be keen to build into the recession to place themselves ready for the recovery. Those desperate to see an upturn around the corner will be pointing excitedly to the Land Securities announcement this…

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Pundits on balance point to flat house prices in 2010

Pundits on balance point to flat house prices in 2010

It’s the time of the year for reflections, resolutions and prognostications. And what can be more fun than guessing the likely path of house prices? Well I can think of a few things. And I’m also left wondering why anyone would wish to state a house price forecast publicly and put their reputations on the line. Predicting house prices currently is a bit like trying to pin a tail on a bucking donkey while blindfolded and in front of a sneering audience….

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