Latest news with #WestHampstead
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
I struggled to sell my two-bedroom London home for six months until I made one crucial change - the flat was snapped up just 10 days later for the £625,000 asking price
A Victorian flat that was languishing on the market for six months with no offers has sold for its £625,000 asking price within 10 days of being staged. Homeowner Kathryn had been struggling to sell the two-bedroom two-bathroom property in West Hampstead, London, and decided to 'dress it up' as a last resort. While some buyers can look beyond the surface and imagine the changes they want to make to a property, many are looking for homes they can instantly imagine themselves living in. So, Kathryn hired a team to jazz up her home - including dressing the rental furniture, adding vibrant pops of colour through décor, and incorporating accessories such as rugs, mirrors and stylish artwork to showcase the potential of each room. In the kitchen, new utensils and pots were decorated neatly on the kitchen counter, while still maintaining a largely clear surface area. The bedrooms were glammed up with patterned pillows and colourful throws. Artwork and mirrors were also added to brighten up the space as they were matched with complementary lighting fixtures and lampshades. The living area was jazzed up with bright cushions, a rug, swanky coffee tables, and decorative vases. Together with plants and wall hangings, the smartly laid-out dinner table added to the welcoming feel of the room. Other small touches in the bathroom - like fresh towels and potted plants - made a huge difference to the vibe of Kathryn's home before she relisted the property in January. Her estate agent quickly arranged 12 viewings and, just 10 days later, three offers were made resulting in a best and final offer at the asking price of £625,000. Kathryn bought the flat in 2001 for £195,000 and undertook a huge renovation, transforming it into a two-bedroom, two-bathroom flat. A year later, Kathryn moved out and rented the property for 20 years, which took its toll on the decor. Last year, Kathryn decided to sell the flat and put it on the market for £575,000 - discounted to take into account that it needed work. Six months later, the property still hadn't sold - forcing Kathryn to reduce the asking price again. 'Everybody could see that it needed quite a bit of work,' Kathryn said. 'It was too much of a project and so we didn't get any offers at all even though it had been on the market a long time at a significant discount. 'I was nervous of Capital Gains Tax rising in October so I was desperately trying to sell it pre-budget and it just wouldn't, so I realised I was going to have to bite the bullet and renovate it myself.' After spending £55,000 on the renovation, Kathryn felt the state of the flat was dramatically improved but still looked empty and bare. She enlisted the help of ThePropertyStagers to give it a makeover and the flat sold within 10 days for £625,000. The staging significantly enhanced its appeal, particularly on RightMove, contributing to its quick sale. Kathryn said: 'I was aware of property staging, and the flat looked really sad and empty, so I contacted a couple of companies, one of which was ThePropertyStagers and I really liked their responsiveness and I warmed to what they said they were going to do for me. 'The flat was also partially furnished because I kept some of the furniture in case it didn't sell again and I needed to re-rent it. They were very flexible, working around my furniture, which was very helpful. 'When you've spent so much on renovating, an extra few thousand wasn't an issue. The difference when I walked in after they'd staged it, it was like a different flat. It was unbelievable what they did!' For Kathryn, it was a huge relief as she wanted to complete the sale before the Stamp Duty changes in April. She said: 'We wouldn't have had that much interest had the flat not been staged, because it made each of the rooms stand out in the photos we used on RightMove. 'There were lots of similar flats on the market but mine really stood out, which I don't think it would have done without the staging.' Liv Conlon revealed that when it comes to selling a home it's all about sticking to neutral tones, clearing clutter and adding pops of colour, texture and pattern with soft furnishings 'Their team used a colour scheme that I would never have thought of myself, with lots of bright yellow, which against the navy kitchen and the grey bathrooms, really looked great - especially in the photos, which drew you in and made you look.' Liv Conlon, who was crowned The UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019 after founding ThePropertyStagers at just 16, says staging a property to sell is very different to how people live at home. The team uses props including artwork and accessories to make houses more appealing. The 25-year-old revealed that when it comes to selling a home it's all about sticking to neutral tones, clearing clutter and adding pops of colour, texture, and pattern with soft furnishings. Liv, who is originally from Glasgow but now lives in Marbella, said: 'Property staging can make the difference between a home not selling, and being sold in just days - I've seen it happen so many times. 'Viewers want to imagine themselves living in the space, so if it's empty or decorated too personally, it becomes more difficult. 'ThePropertyStagers staged the kitchen and dining area with bright accessories, bold artwork, a cosy rug, as well as oversized vases, and giant mirrors. 'We also set up the dining table with crockery, and added colourful cushions on the sofas. In the two bedrooms, we dressed the double beds, adding blankets, lamps, vases and artwork.
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Deodorant comment controversy affected me - GB's Dart
Harriet Dart says the negative reaction she received for aiming a personal jibe at opponent Lois Boisson has taken a toll on a 6-0 6-3 first-round defeat to Boisson at the Rouen Open in April, Dart asked the umpire to tell her opponent to put on deodorant, saying: "She smells really bad."The 28-year-old from West Hampstead later apologised on Instagram, calling it a "heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret".Boisson made light of the incident at the time, posting an edited photo of her holding some deodorant and telling toiletries company Dove that they "apparently need a collab".Their careers have since gone in significantly directions, with Boisson making a major Grand Slam breakthrough at the French Open and Dart winning just one of seven who will face Hungary's Dalma Galfi in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday, was asked about the comment by reporters at the All England Club on Saturday."I'd be lying if [I said] it didn't affect me a little bit," said the British number four, who sits 124th in the world rankings."I'm human, but also we all make mistakes and I just tried to look forward."I've gone through some difficulties these weeks. I don't always share what I go through but I'm just looking forward and preparing the best I can."I don't know why we're still talking about this. It's been months now. I feel like I answered a lot of the questions that were asked of me and that's it. I really just want to put it behind me."Dart has been given a wildcard entry into Wimbledon - unlike Boisson, who reached the Roland Garros semi-finals in June by beating three seeded she missed out on a discretionary place, world number 65 Boisson lost in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying to Canada's Carson Branstine on Tuesday.
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
From scrums to saucepans! Former Bath and Northampton prop Nick Auterac opens up on leaving rugby behind and his new career as a chef
For 12 years, brute force was Nick Auterac's currency as he propped up the scrum for some of the Gallagher Premiership's best sides. Finesse wasn't really a part of his job description in professional rugby. Now, as he stands in the kitchen of a chic French brasserie in the affluent London suburb of West Hampstead and fillets steak for the evening service, there is suddenly a need for delicacy. Auterac's new career couldn't be more different from what he had become used too. After leaving rugby behind, he has slimmed down and embarked on a new life as a chef. Some old habits, however, die hard. 'I do still knock into things quite a lot and I can be a bit heavy handed sometimes too,' says Auterac, decked out in chef's whites and apron instead of training gear. 'I've lost about 25 kilos. You do so many steps in the kitchen and you're so busy, you don't actually end up eating that much.' In a parallel universe, Auterac – still only 32 – would have been part of the Bath side which won the Premiership title at Twickenham last weekend as part of an historic treble. He made close to 100 appearances for The Rec outfit and also played for Saracens, where he started his career, as well as Harlequins and Northampton. Auterac's time in rugby came to an end in Edinburgh in 2023. 'I was just f****** done,' he says. Auterac seems well suited to life as a chef as expletives regularly punctuate this interview. He adds: 'The coaches and the players knew that. Everyone in the f****** city of Edinburgh knew that. I started a Masters in music production thinking it would kick me on and I'd be the next f****** David Guetta!' Auterac graduated with first-class honours. But he didn't find the music industry to be as he envisaged, so then came another dramatic pivot. The former loosehead met chef Louis Bird, who is an ex-school contemporary, in a London gym and soon embarked on a fresh chapter. Auterac has always been a passionate foody. But he had 'zero training' in what is required to work as a chef full time before doing just that. 'You'd struggle to find a prop who doesn't like food. I love food. I always just naturally cooked a lot,' Auterac adds. 'There was a point where I was eating a steak for breakfast, lunch and dinner – every day. That's why I'm quite good at cooking steaks here! 'I've always loved cooking for friends and family. I think it's such a rewarding thing when you give them some food and they're complimentary There is pressure. If I f*** up at home, I'd say: 'Sorry, I f***** up.' But, here, you can't do that and you see the best and the worst of people because of that. 'I'd be lying if I said the kitchen buzz was at the same level as rugby, but there's definitely an element to it. There's nothing like playing in front of 15,000 people at Franklin's Gardens knowing you're going to get your head kicked in for 90 minutes!' Alongside Bird, Auterac is now a chef at French Society and loving his post-rugby life. He has also recently become engaged to fiancée Viviana. 'It's proper French bistro food here. It's fun to cook and f*** it's tasty,' he says. 'But it's not very good for you. If you're on a diet, don't eat it. 'There's literally butter, cream and sugar in f****** everything. We do massive sirloin steaks with bone marrow butter. The duck confit, slowly cooked in oil, is lovely and tender. 'We put it on the charcoal right at the end to crisp it up. I do around 30,000 steps a day in the kitchen. I'm probably one of the only chefs who goes home and stretches. 'I'll get the p*** taken out of me for that!' Not all rugby players exit the game and find a new job they're happy with. Auterac has and is certainly fortunate to be in that position. His passion for cooking is clear, helped by it running in the family. Auterac's sister Georgina is a private chef and until recently, was working for former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. But his rugby departure was, unfortunately, now typical for a game which has had to cut back amid severe financial challenges. Premiership clubs have had to reduce their squad sizes, leaving players out of work. Auterac had a fine career and was a solid, dependable front-row forward. But he wasn't a top international nor a young academy player, falling between those two stools. In Auterac's own words, rugby's middle ground has been 'squeezed.' It is something happening not only in England, but worldwide. 'There are those in the middle – which is where I put myself – who are not earning top or bottom money. I succumbed to the business side of it all,' Auterac adds. 'The clubs had to make a business decision: Do we get rid of Nick and get someone who is half the price or does Nick play better? Obviously, I didn't play better. Then they got Joe Bloggs for half the money.' Auterac harbours no ill feeling to the game which gave him more than a decade of playing at the highest level. But at the same time, he has now left rugby behind and is content to have done so. Auterac's longest playing stint at one club came with Bath. But with job security scarce, he had grown tired of bouncing between teams. He was always on the move. The brutal realities of what it takes to play the game today and the physical impact it has on a player's body also became a factor as Auterac got older and the contract offers lessened. 'My back was so sore. I was lying in bed every night on diazepam, painkillers and muscle relaxers,' he says. 'I was taking them just to get to sleep at one point and that made me think, 'What the f*** am I doing?' 'When you're young, you're happy to kick your body in and keep going. But I got to a stage where I thought doing that was just f****** stupid. 'I have no regrets because I f****** put everything into it. The frustrating thing is that I succumbed to the business side of it all. I could maybe have dragged out another few years, but there were other things I wanted to do with my life. 'I thought I'd pack it in and I did so on my terms. I'm not going to lie, my back was pretty f***** by the end.' Auterac won't ever return to the rugby field. He is very clear about that. The long evening and weekend shifts which come with life as a chef are a big part of that. But he does still retain some involvement in the game, coaching at London side Old Millhillians for whom Bird – Auterac's boss – still plays. 'It is an interesting dynamic. If Louis f**** me off here, I'll just go and make his life miserable playing rugby,' Auterac says with a smile. 'But I'm so grateful to him for giving me this opportunity. Last year, the coach who started the season had a heart attack. I spoke to Louis and he said no-one was coaching them. 'I couldn't have that. I said I'd help out and then we lost every game! The closest we came to winning was about 30 or 40 points. We had a dreadful season and they still wanted me to come back! I couldn't believe it. 'In my first game, we lost by 70 points. A lot of them went like that. You can put this in the article – if anyone wants to play for Old Millhillians, let me know!' Auterac would have loved to have played in France, a country with which he has a great affinity. It is no surprise French cuisine is now his preferred culinary choice. 'There's actually a place in the south of France called Auteyrac,' he says, before breaking into another big grin. 'It's a tiny little village. My parents went to visit not long ago. They said it stank of cow s*** and they'd never go back!' Auterac remains close with Bath and England lock Charlie Ewels. He emphasises his fondness for Northampton. His weight loss can in part be attributed to his training for an upcoming half Ironman challenge. Auterac played for Bath in their 2015 Premiership final defeat by Saracens. If things had worked out differently, he could have been a treble winner alongside friend Ewels this season. But that is not the way Auterac looks at things. He is happy with his lot. That much is clear during 45 minutes of engaging conversation. It is not often an interview with a former rugby player gets interrupted for a fresh bread delivery. But this was one. 'I'd do this for free,' Auterac says. 'I cook because I love it. I played rugby because I loved it. They're what I call passion jobs. I loved Northampton. It's a proper rugby town. I liked Bath. It was a weird time under Mike Ford. 'There was always a little bit of pressure lingering around. When we had a bad season, the instability would return which made it not a nice place to be. 'But the city was really nice. I'm glad now they're winning things. It's about time. I had good friends there and just for the peace of the place, I wanted them to win something. But even now with mad Bruce Craig involved, they're only half a season away from it all being overturned again.' On that note, and with time ticking towards opening hour at the restaurant, Auterac has to go. After leaving life on the rugby field behind, he has found a new calling. It seems it is one which perhaps makes him even happier than his sport ever did.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘I've slashed my asking price by £150k. I still can't sell my flat'
London flat owners are in trouble. Not only has the average price of the city's apartments stagnated over the past nine years, according to Zoopla, many blocks have been marred by cladding scandals and a wider realisation about the perils of leasehold and uncapped service charges. As a result, flat owners in the capital have seen their investment lose a quarter of its value in real terms, on average – and in some cases they have been unable to sell up, leaving them trapped or faced with making a significant loss. Telegraph Money speaks to three such homeowners, who face the grim reality of selling their homes for far less than they believed them to be worth. 'It's devastating' Laoise Davidson, 56, has been forced to reduce the asking price of her London flat by £150,000 since putting it up for sale last February. She bought her two-bedroom leasehold flat in West Hampstead, in a converted synagogue, in 2004 for £350,000. By 2016, the flat had been given a valuation of £800,000, so Davidson assumed that she was well on her way to making a healthy profit. But after putting her property on the market for £725,000 last year – the amount an estate agent told her it was worth – she was unable to secure a sale. 'The estate agent did a social media campaign and loads of work to get interest. He got us three viewings in three months, but then we never heard back,' she says. As Davidson was getting married in July, she and her now-husband took the flat off the market for a few months. 'The signs were saying that the economy was doing well, so we put it back on at the end of August with a local agent – there was more interest.' But in the space of less than a year, Davidson has been forced to slash the asking price to £575,000. 'It's devastating. It's still not really getting any interest – we had one viewing last week and one this week, and we haven't had feedback from either of them yet. 'My husband and I want to buy our forever home in London – we can't both live in my flat, as he is a piano teacher and needs more space. We are looking at houses, but it is really tricky as house prices are going up while flats aren't. We can't afford the house we are looking for, and we are really stuck.... I wish I'd sold in 2016.' Davidson attributes part of her trouble selling to the service charge she pays on her flat, which rose from around £3,000 a year to almost £4,000 after there was a water leak in her building, raising its insurance premiums. 'There is a smaller flat on the other side of my road which has a lower service charge, and that includes a swimming pool, a gym and somebody looking after the place. We don't have any of that, but there is nothing I can do about it,' she says. Nonetheless, Davidson thinks negative attitudes towards leasehold properties are overblown. 'I think leaseholds get a bad name – there are benefits not being discussed, it seems to be one-sided. We have a good managing agent and the building is looked after… if you [buy freehold] you have to do your own repairs and maintenance, so you end up spending a similar amount,' she says. 'But that said, I wouldn't want to go leasehold again – but that's the phase of my life that I'm in.' 'The property ladder myth is still hurting me now' Liam Chennells, 35, bought his leasehold flat in Willesden, north-west London, in 2016. Since then, the value of the property has fallen by around 15pc, and Chennells finds himself unable to sell the property, in part because of the building's ongoing cladding issues, and the fact that it comes with an annual service charge of almost £3,000. 'The property ladder myth got me at the age of 25, and is still hurting me now. I had worked hard enough to save a significant deposit of 10pc while renting in London – I didn't have any help from my parents. It seemed like an excellent idea. 'I think we are hard-coded in Britain to get on the property ladder – it's one of the things people want to check off. It's an aspirational thing when you're doing well.' But Liam – who now lives in Hertfordshire and has resorted to renting out his London flat – seriously regrets his purchase. He urges young people to think very carefully about buying property and taking on a mortgage, as his experience has left him wishing he had just rented instead. 'Rent everything – you get freedom, flexibility. Mortgage rates are a joke. If you extrapolate the information about the payments you have to make and for how long, it's nonsense. 'One of my big things is education – we don't get taught any of this stuff in school.' 'I won't break even. It's a bitter pill to swallow' Eliza*, 39, who wished to remain anonymous as her property is still for sale, purchased a one-bedroom leasehold apartment in Stepney Green – a trendy area of East London – in 2016, for £440,000. She used the Help to Buy scheme to fund 40pc of the purchase. This government-backed initiative ran in England and Scotland from 2013 to 2023, giving buyers a government loan to help them purchase a new-build home. While the loan is interest-free for the first five years, after this time interest of 1.75pc is charged on the amount borrowed, which must be repaid alongside mortgage repayments. 'I couldn't afford a flat in Zone 1 or 2 without the Help to Buy scheme,' she says. 'I didn't have a big inheritance or anything like that, and thought it was a no-brainer. I love the flat – it was perfect, with great transport links.' However, having recently had a baby with her husband, Eliza is now desperately trying to sell up in order to buy a house outside the city. But, despite being on the market since last March, the flat remains unsold. 'The first estate agent wanted to put it on at £490,000, but we had no offers. We got an offer for £450,000, only £10,000 more than I [paid for it], so I would not break even with all the interest. That's a bitter pill to swallow. And then that offer fell through. 'We put it back on at £450,000,' she says, 'but we didn't get too much interest as it was winter.' Eliza and her partner have made an offer for their dream home, but as the flat is still not selling, it looks like it will fall through. 'We're going to lose this house that we really want. I'm on maternity leave, so I'm not going to get another mortgage like that unless I work full-time, which I don't want to do.' Eliza believes there are several factors at play that are prolonging the sale of her flat. One is the £240 monthly service charge. 'All the stories of service charges escalating and getting out of control are putting people off, and people generally don't think investing in a flat in London is a good idea,' she says. She also suspects that if she had put her flat on the market at a more competitive price in the first place, it may have sold, and she would be moving into her dream home with her partner today. 'Estate agents tell you what you want to hear so you'll go with them. If they'd told me my flat was worth £450,000 originally, would I have gone with them? Probably not.' Ultimately, Eliza thinks the price she paid for the flat in 2016 was inflated due to the Help to Buy scheme. The scheme has been criticised by experts and MPs for contributing to higher flat prices when it was active, and may have 'encouraged people to buy property they couldn't actually afford', according to Ranald Mitchell, of Charwin Private Clients. 'I do blame Help to Buy for inflating house prices,' she says. 'They knew people needed the scheme, and that it sounded great on paper.' All things considered, Eliza is not particularly hopeful about selling her flat in future. 'We might just have to auction it and move on.'
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's Jeremy Clarkson left stunned as contestant makes ‘show history'
JEREMY Clarkson has declared one contestant 'one of his favourites' after a risky gamble on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? On Sunday night's episode, the Clarkson's Farm star returned to his presenting duties on the beloved ITV game show, with a host of new contestants trying to win the coveted cash. 5 5 5 First up was Nicholas Bennett, who earned his place in the hot seat after fastest finger first. The West Hampstead data analyst was supported by his family as he made his way through the questions, starting an impressive run as he made his way to his first safety net of £125,000 with no pressure. In an impressive run of questions, Nicholas managed to make it to the all-important £1million question with lifelines still in his back pocket. However, he then ran into trouble, and needed to use his remaining two lifelines in order to try and secure the win. Jeremy asked him: 'Which of these words, each coined by a famous writer, was derived from the title of a fairytale about three princes: Pandamonium, Serendipity, Utopia or Yahoo.' Using the lifeline to ask Jeremy, the host admitted: 'I'm loathe to say anything… because if I do say something…' Noting that all four potential answers must have been coined by an author, Jeremy struggled before admitting: 'I can't think of a fairytale that's about three princes.' Nicholas noted that it had 'twigged something in his head' – saying he had recently been to see a puppet show while in Spain about three princes, but it was in Spanish so he wasn't sure what they were saying… but thought someone was saying Yahoo. Jeremy then sadly bowed out, saying he didn't know the answer. So with that falling flat, Nicholas opted for his second lifeline to phone a friend in order to call his roommate, Meg. Who Wants To Be A Milionaire contestant forced to use two lifelines on tricky pop star question - would you know it- Once calling her, Jeremy told her just how much was on the line, but she didn't know either. Despite this, Nicholas decided he was going to gamble and pick an answer anyway, leaving Jeremy stunned. '£375,000 is what you're gambling,' Jeremy reminded him. 'I know you still go away with a lot but…' But Nicholas had made his mind up, saying Yahoo as his final answer – prompting a round of grimacing noises from the audience. Sadly, he was wrong – the right answer was Serendipity – and he walked away with just £125,000. Despite not becoming a millionaire, Jeremy noted: 'A couple things I'm trying to work out is, is that the biggest loss we've had in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire history, and I don't think I've had a contestant that I've enjoyed more than you.' But Nicholas seemed content with taking home the £125,000 – and walked away happy. As the scenes played out on screen, one fan wrote: "Unlucky to the bloke for not getting the million-pound question. But fair play to him for giving it go. "He seemed [like] a really nice guy. Gutted for him!" noted another, while a third said: "What a shame. Fair play to the lad for giving it a go." 5 5
