London Docklands Online-prime insider source for real estate and property in London Docklands, England

NEW STYLE LIVING ON 55
MILES OF WATERFRONT
We have a passion about London Docklands real estate and its exciting commercial and residential buildings. It has proved to be a property roller coaster ride in the 15 years since our arrival on these shores, but despite the ups and downs, London Docklands is poised to become the premium place to live and work.

16,000 new waterside homes completed and occupied and housebuilders set to produce nearly 2,000 new homes a year for the next three years underline the variety, the quality of the homes and the unmatched lifestyle opportunities of this, the fastest growing area in Europe. What few price benchmarks there are can be found in London Docklands Online and a quick browse of the districts tours will reveal previous prices, background on the development and, as fast as we can substantiate them, the very latest prices.

Buying and renting property in London Docklands needs care and expert help

While the property pundits cannot agree on the state of the nation's property market with successive mortgage lenders issuing conflicting reports on the state of the market and the official Government Registry figures exceeding them, what then is happening in London Docklands is the question we are asked every day.

Since May 2000 the market has slowed with prices on hold and tardy housebuilders likely to catch a cold as the pace dampens down. It was a buyers' market with the decreasing number of sellers taking a more realistic view in order to make the move to their planned timetable.

In August 200 the Docklands property sales market went phut! The agents and housebuilders desperately seeking buyers. However, land deals went on unabated with right hand, left hand deals adding £millions for prime residential sites. At Easter 2001 there are more buyers than properties despite the increasing prices.

Just one year on, in August 2001, there is a shortages situation due to growing demand ahead of major relocations by HSBC and Citigroup of 5,000-plus staffers to the two towers alongside Canary Wharf Tower and other relocations including law firm Clifford Chance.

Developers, despite pushing up prices by around 15 percent in successive launch phases of their condo schemes, have been selling 60 percent of their stock off-plan up to 20 months ahead of completion, often on a buy to rent basis. That has effectively removed thousands of new homes from the production pipeline.

There is a buying migration into the neighbouring borough of Newham where the wide open Royal Docks and River Thames wharves led themselves to large-scale developments like Britannia Village and Barrier Point. Current prices are at record levels for Britain's poorest borough and Barratt Homes are asking £800,000 for a riverbank Tower penthouse. No wonder locals and councillors are shaking their heads in disbelief...

Click the BRIEFING districts above right and take a property tour to check our ratings of areas and developments for yourself.
Email us if you need more information, layouts or off-market bargains. We hope you find your ideal home (or office) along our 55 miles of waterfront.

MORE INFO? When you have a shortlist of possible homes, type in the postcode, or part postcode in the UpMyStreet panel and click GO. UpMyStreet provides a postcode finder, map, local details and property prices plus other useful relocation information like schools, council tax bands, crime and The Neighbours.