Living in Kintbury

Kintbury is a large village in the Kennet Valley between Hungerford and Newbury, with a population of 2400 people. The river Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal are on the north side, while the land rises steadily to the chalk downs to the south, and is surrounded by many woods and pastures. Motorway junctions 13 (Newbury),14 (Hungerford ), and the A34 bypass are close by, providing swift access to Heathrow, London and the West Country North (A34) and South (A34).

Kintbury’s existence dates from 93.A.D. The Normans built the large church and the centre of the village is almost identical in its layout as it was 1000 years ago. The buildings are more contemporary, having been built between the seventeenth and twentieth century. The town centre is home to a variety of independent shops that are popular with both locals and people from nearby villages.

The village has its own modern medical centre. There are two village pubs and a hotel/restaurant located between the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal. There’s a primary school in the village, with other state schools being located in nearby Hungerford and Newbury. The private school Cheam is also in the area.

House price rise last month

UK house prices rose to a two-year high in September as demand picked up in London and the property market showed signs of peaking, according to research company Acadametrics Ltd. and LSL Property Services Plc.

The average price of a home in England and Wales rose 0.2 percent from August to £223,965, the highest since July 2008, the companies said. Values were up seven percent from last year.

Imminent public-spending cuts will inevitably hit household finances, but the housing market will not face a ‘double dip’, LSL said. It added it does not expect market activity or house prices to continue growing in the short term.

This increase in house prices came as the number of transactions rose 3.4 percent from August to about 66,000, an increase of 11 percent from a year earlier.

With transactions historically slow in September, this welcome increase in activity, particularly in London, is the result of sustained investment from foreign investors and cash-rich buyers triggering an increase in transactions.

Interestingly, the International Monetary Fund said this week that UK house prices appear high and may need correcting. Similarly, Lloyds Banking Group Plc’s Halifax unit said home values dropped the most since 1983 last month.

Luxury London House Prices Drop

Prices of luxury London homes have dropped for the first time in 18 months – according to upmarket property agent Savills.

Its quarterly central London survey shows prices in the third quarter of 2010 look set to fall 0.9% in Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Belgravia, Mayfair and Marylebone.

This will be the first fall since the opening quarter of 2009 and has been caused by an increase in properties on the market as uncertainty in the economy continues to limit buyer demand.

Prime prices rose by 0.1% across central London during the third quarter. This represents a significant slowdown from the one percent rise during the second quarter of 2010 and the 4.3% rise from the final quarter of last year.

It is however, ahead of the fall previously predicted by many analysts.

The best performing areas in London were Kensington, Holland Park and Notting Hill, where prices grew 2.1% since July.

Robust demand from overseas buyers and an influx of cash from City workers helped the market amid concerns about the impact of austerity measures, Savills said.

The property agent also believes the impact of the economy on buyers will continue to dictate activity levels and prices over the next 18 months.