News

The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee has made a surprise decision today to cut the policy interest rate amid pressure to avert an economic slowdown and hedge the heightened trade war between the US and China. The MPC cut the interest rate by only 25 basis points to 1.5 %. But the cut is significant. Of the seven-member committee, five voted for the cut while two voted to maintain the rate at...

There’s so much to see and do in Dubai that you wouldn't get through it all in one week, let alone one day. But, if you’ve got less than 24 hours to make your way through the city’s biggest and best attractions, this is how to make it count. 8 am Start your day with a morning drive in the desert. Half-day tours are available from Arabian Adventures. These take a drive through the Dubai Desert...

This impressive mansion is Nottinghamshire's most expensive house With a helicopter pad and a panic room, James Bond wouldn't look out of place in this seven-bedroom luxury home. The property - which is the most expensive in the region - also boasts of elaborate dressing rooms, cinema room, bar, staff quarters, well as a basement state-of-the-art swimming pool, sauna and gym. And for a cool £10...

A spate of recent home launches from Dior, Gucci, Loewe, and more reveals a red-hot market for high-fashion home furnishings—one that is only expected to grow Luxury clothing labels are wandering from the wardrobe into the living room. Louis Vuitton is selling swing chairs. Gucci offers candleholders that it recommends repurposing as flowerpots. Hermès does wallpaper. These offerings go beyond the...

With the introduction of new materials for furniture design, wood holds its own. For a timeless material, wood is experiencing a contemporary revival. With global interest in craft, collaborations between traditional craftsmen and designers are on the rise, making wood the material to watch. From the traditional woodworking enclaves of Asia, to the industrial workshops of Brooklyn, a new generation of...

Hillside homes in this Santa Barbara, California, area have to-die-for views and lots of space for running around. The secluded hillside estates in Montecito, which lies 80 miles west of Los Angeles, between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains in California’s Santa Barbara County, are a paradise for Hollywood stars and the super rich who want to live in splendid isolation. Chic, yet somewhat...

London venue where the Rolling Stones and U2 played their early gigs is for sale A hub for music acts since the Sixties, major names such as The Jam also staged early gigs at the W9 venue. Now set for a new life, it’s on the market at £6.5 million with Lambert Smith Hampton.   Read...

Many real estate buyers and sellers don't understand exactly who pays the real estate agent involved in the transaction. To understand who pays real estate commissions—whether it's sellers or buyers or both—first take a look at how real estate agents are paid and how they share cooperating commissions. Don't worry if you don't know how commissions work because I've had clients who didn't know, and it...

The longer I work as a real estate broker, the more I am convinced that my profession should do a better job of educating the public about real estate agents and brokers. Few home buyers and sellers seem to really understand how real estate agents work, or how to follow protocol, who pays us and why we do the things that we do. Ask what the public does know, and you'll hear all kinds of myths. Because...

With so much information readily available online, clients sometimes ask, "Why should we hire a real estate agent?" They wonder (and rightfully so) if they couldn't buy or sell a home through the Internet or regular marketing and advertising channels without representation, without a real estate agent. Some do fine on their own, but many don't. Here are 10 reasons why you might want to consider hiring a...