Latest news with #apartments
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Town centre offices in Reading to be converted into flats
Three floors of town centre offices will be converted into apartments after a planning application was first, second and third floors of St Mary's House in St Mary's Butts, Reading, will be converted to create 31 serviced floor will be built on top of the current building to provide another six apartments but shop units, currently including a Cancer Research charity shop and Caffè Nero, will Borough Council gave the plans permission last week. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
RAK Properties unveils Solera: The pulse of Mina's dynamic new Downtown District
Designed for contemporary urban living, exceptional amenities include the Solera Flame Pavilion for al fresco gatherings and co-working space The NOOK Sales commence on Saturday, 21st June, 2025 Ras Al Khaimah, UAE – RAK Properties, Ras Al Khaimah's leading publicly listed property developer, today announced the launch of Solera, a vibrant new apartment community set to define the new downtown rhythm of its flagship waterfront destination, Mina. Located on Raha Island, Solera marks an exciting first chapter of the highly anticipated Downtown Mina district. Comprising 451 units across three architecturally distinct buildings anchored by a shared podium, Solera is the inaugural community within RAK Properties' ambitious new district. Upon completion, Downtown Mina will feature six integrated residential communities, offering unparalleled proximity to the wider Mina master plan's amenities. Ideally located alongside multiple dedicated retail and F&B destinations, this urban hub has ready access to an array of lushly landscaped parks, covered walkways, and dynamic community spaces. Apartments in Solera, ranging from 386 to 3,104 sqft and with prices starting from AED 768,000, are complemented by an extensive array of lifestyle amenities designed for contemporary living. Residents will enjoy a stunning 40m infinity-edge lap pool, a dedicated kids' pool and splash pad, and the unique Solera Flame Pavilion – an outdoor gathering space equipped with a BBQ kitchen for the ultimate in al fresco dining. Solera residents will also benefit from an inspirational sculptural garden, a telescope corner for unmatched daytime and nighttime vistas, a relaxing hammock garden, a skateboard park, and a state-of-the-art gym. In addition, specifically catering to the needs of today's increasingly mobile workforce, The NOOK, a dedicated social lounge and co-working space, will offer an ideal environment for entrepreneurs and professionals to connect, share ideas, and grow their businesses. Sameh Muhtadi, Chief Executive Officer of RAK Properties, commented: 'We are proud to launch Solera, the first chapter in the Downtown Mina story. With Solera, we are adding diversity to our product mix and creating new neighborhoods that add to Mina's overall character. As we continue to pursue the luxury segment elsewhere in our portfolio, Solera and Downtown Mina bring a whole new vibe to Ras Al Khaimah. Younger, edgier, and designed to appeal to work-from-anywhere professionals and entrepreneurs, Solera will contribute to the changing narrative around the Emirate as more and more investors see its real estate market appeal. Muhtadi continued: 'As we reach the midpoint of our twentieth anniversary year, RAK Properties is making good progress with its 2025 product launch pipeline, a period in which we have launched Mirasol, SKAI, Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Residences, and ENTA in partnership with Hive and A.R.M Holding. This is also a year in which we are focusing on delivery – with over 3,000 homes under construction, we are targeting the handover of more than 800 to customers this year. As attention continues to focus on the future opening of the Wynn Resort, we are well placed to deliver more homes in RAK before Q1 2027 than any other developer operating in the Emirate. This will ensure that investors see immediate gains from the introduction of this major resort.' Sales for Solera commence from 10am on Saturday, 21st June, at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah, Dubai. For more information and to pre-register, go to: Construction is expected to start at the start of April 2026, with completion and handover anticipated to take place by the end of April 2028. About RAK Properties Founded in 2005 under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, RAK Properties is a leading real estate developer committed to producing exceptional and sustainable destinations. Specialising in contemporary and meticulously crafted communities, RAK Properties integrates excellence, innovation, and nature to create enriching lifestyles in alignment with the aspirations of tomorrow's people. RAK Properties plays a pivotal role in achieving RAK Vision 2030, focusing on delivering economic, social, and environmental value, all aimed at enhancing lives and places, and contributing to the prosperous narrative of Ras Al Khaimah. Awards and recognitions Awarded 'Developer of the Year' 2023 by Construction Week Middle East. Bay Views Residences won the 'Best Residential Project' at the Design Middle East Awards 2023, where the residential development was recognized as the region's best design and architecture. Quattro Del Mar was awarded the Best Mixed-Use Project at the prestigious Pillars of Real Estate Awards 2024.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
New World Sells 138 Hong Kong Homes at Discount Within Hours
New World Development Co. and its partners sold 138 apartments in a few hours at a new project after pricing the homes at a discount to lure buyers in Hong Kong's sluggish real estate market. The companies sold the apartments in Deep Water Pavilia in southern Hong Kong Island on Saturday within a few hours, according to New World. The homes were the cheapest of any new residential project in the Southside area. The low price, coupled with declining interest rates, have attracted homebuyers while bringing much-needed cash to the embattled developer.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kitsap County apartments for rent saw essentially no changes in April
Renters in Kitsap County saw apartment listing prices essentially unchanged from March's average of $1,899, an analysis of new data from Apartment List shows. The average apartment listed for rent at $1,895 in April. Average listing prices in Kitsap County are trending slightly downwards from March's $1,899 price, up 5.6% from this time last year. The data is inclusive of all bedroom sizes, from studios to three-bedroom units, so while it is a good indicator of how rents are moving in the area, it does not include single family homes for rent, said Chris Salviati, senior housing economist for Apartment List. One-bedroom apartments listed to rent at an average of $1,372, nearly the same as March, when they were $1,375. Since last year, one-bedroom rental prices rose 5.5% from $1,300. Two-bedroom apartments listed for rent were basically flat to March at an average of $1,863, compared to $1,866. Since last year, two-bedroom rental prices rose 5.6% from $1,764. Statewide, Washington rental listing prices are slightly higher than March's average of $1,753. In Washington, one-bedroom rentals were listed for an average of $1,544, slightly higher than March's average of $1,536. Two-bedroom rental listing prices are trending slightly higher than March's average of $1,722 at $1731. In Kitsap County, the average apartment listed for rent is 8% above the state average. One-bedroom rentals were 11% below the state average, while two-bedrooms listed 8% above. Nationwide, apartment rental listing prices slightly increased from last month's $1,384 to $1,392. One-bedroom rentals across the nation listed for an average of $1,223, just higher than last month's average of $1,216, while two-bedroom rental listing prices slightly rose from last month's average of $1,370 to $1,378. In Kitsap County, the average apartment listed for rent is 36% above the national average. One-bedroom apartment rentals listed 12% above the national average, with two-bedroom rentals listed 35% above. The average apartment rental prices used in this report are gathered from Apartment List, which estimates the median rent using median rent statistics from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and a growth rate calculated from their listing data. Read more about their rent estimate methodology here. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Apartment List. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap County apartments for rent saw essentially no changes in April
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Australia's property shift: Units now outperforming houses
Apartments are now outperforming houses in price growth across most of Australia's capital cities — but Melbourne buyers aren't convinced. A major new report from Hotspotting and Nuestar has flipped Australia's long-held property logic, revealing unit prices are now rising faster than house prices in the majority of capital city markets, driven by affordability pressures, soaring rents and shifting buyer psychology. The analysis shows 62.9 per cent of apartment markets in capital city council areas recorded equal or higher median price growth than houses in the year to May 2025. 'I'd be locked out': Mum's $65k home warning Brisbane led the charge, with 76.3 per cent of its apartment markets outperforming houses. Perth followed closely with 75 per cent, and Sydney wasn't far behind at 71.4 per cent. Hotspotting founder Terry Ryder said the old rule that houses on land always delivered superior capital gains no longer held true. 'The once-dominant paradigm is simply no longer the case,' Mr Ryder said. 'The demand for apartments is being driven by affordability, lifestyle preferences and higher rental yields. And that's showing up in the numbers.' Nuestar founder Michael Wilkins said buyers today were more value-conscious and lifestyle-focused than ever before, and quality apartment design was lifting performance. 'The quality of today's new apartments is worlds apart from the cookie-cutter blocks of 10 years ago,' Mr Wilkins said. 'Buyers want smart floorplans, integrated amenities and access to transport, and that's what's driving performance.' Across Australia, 154,928 apartments were sold over the past 12 months, a number experts expect will continue to grow into 2025. But in Melbourne, the apartment resurgence has failed to land. MR Advocacy director and buyers agent Madeleine Roberts said local demand remained heavily skewed toward houses and villa units, with the inner-city apartment market still burdened by longstanding stigma. 'We're definitely not seeing that trend in Melbourne,' Ms Roberts said. 'Apartments here, particularly in Docklands and the CBD, have underperformed for years. They just don't offer the same growth potential.' While lower prices appealed to some buyers, Ms Roberts said most were still opting to move further from the city in exchange for land. 'We've always been a city that values space,' she said. 'Apartments might be cheaper, but they're not seen as a stepping stone, more like a compromise.' The MR Advocacy director said her firm hadn't bought a single inner-Melbourne apartment on behalf of a client in recent months, instead steering buyers towards villa units and townhouses in Melbourne's middle-ring and outer suburbs. 'There are still good-quality apartments out there, but not all stock is equal,' Ms Roberts said. 'You've got to be careful. Some of these buildings come with high body corporate fees, low growth, and difficult resale.' Ms Roberts said rentvesting was emerging as a smarter strategy for younger buyers. 'Buy where the numbers work, rent where the lifestyle works,' she said. 'It's often cheaper to rent an apartment than to own one here, and you can still build equity elsewhere.' In Brisbane, the apartment surge is already well underway. McGrath Wynnum-Manly principal Gaby McEwan said the unit market had roared back to life, driven by downsizers, first-home buyers and investors. 'We've absorbed that oversupply of apartments we had back in 2014 to 2016,' Ms McEwan said. 'Now we're in a completely different market. There's real scarcity, and real demand.' Ms McEwan said buyers who had been priced out of detached houses were now turning to low-maintenance apartments and two-bedroom townhouses in lifestyle-rich suburbs. 'Two cousins I know recently bought a townhouse on Charlotte St in Wynnum for $710,000,' she said. 'They're rentvesting and know the value's only going up. That's the kind of mindset we're seeing.' The McGrath Wynnum-Manly director said luxury apartments were also in high demand from retirees, but a lack of downsizer-friendly stock and high entry prices were stalling many transitions. 'We've got retirees trying to simplify their lives and move into modern apartments,' Ms McEwan said. 'But some of these new builds start at $1.8m and go as high as $2.3m. In many cases, that's more than what their current house is worth.' She added that without stronger downsizer incentives, many older Australians were staying in large, ageing homes longer than they wanted to — or should. 'I've seen people in their 70s, 80s and even 90s still living in high-maintenance properties, some won't move until they have a fall and it's too late,' Ms McEwan said. 'There's a real housing gap here, and it's hurting the most vulnerable.'
