The Lure of the Cotswolds for Beyoncé and Jay-Z

As music A-listers Beyoncé and Jay-Z are rumoured to be building a modern barn-style home on a vast 58-acre plot near Wigginton in the Cotswolds, our Head of the Cotswolds, Harry Gladwin, talks to Ruth Bloomfield at The Standard about the area’s transatlantic appeal.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

Harry has seen a 30% increase in US-based buyers in the Cotswolds since the start of the pandemic. “This region ticks every box of what they dream the English countryside should be – rolling hills, honey-coloured stone, cricket on the green, cosy pubs and villages that look unchanged for centuries,” Harry told The Standard.

Read the article here.

How Potential Taxes on Downsizers Could Impact the Housing Market

As Chancellor Rachel Reeves seeks to find £50bn to plug the Government’s financial black hole, speculation over potential new taxes on homeowners have revealed that downsizers could be in the firing line at the next Budget. Head of The Buying Solution, Will Watson, shares his insights with Maya Wilson Autzen from The Telegraph.

Sarah Frances Kelley for The Buying Solution

With the Chancellor reportedly considering replacing stamp duty with a new tax on sellers of homes over £500,000, it has also been suggested that the Government could charge capital gains tax on primary residences worth more than £1.5m.

As a result, homeowners are now considering delaying selling until a new government (they hope) is in place – a decision which would limit stock levels further still, says Will Watson in The Telegraph.

Read the article here.