Central St Martins gives King's Cross the edge
Central St Martins' new campus is fizzing and the first of 2,000 homes are launched, as 67 acres of King's Cross becomes London's hottest district.
Property insider: Kingston upon Thames
There is something of a buy-to-let boom quietly rumbling away in Kingston upon Thames, the family favourite south-west London suburb. We get the property lowdown.
Spotlight on Stoke Newington
Young professionals and families are attracted to "Stokey" by the mainly Victorian housing stock and the neighbourhood's arty and bohemian vibe.
Spotlight on Harpenden
Close to woods and parkland, with good links to London, this small town has a lot to offer those looking to start a new life out of the city.
Design trends: loving red
We've found five red-hot gifts and gadgets to let your Valentine know that home is where the heart is.
Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Streatham Hill
On leafy Downton Avenue in SW2, plenty of family space can be yours for £550,000 at this Edwardian home. There are four bedrooms and a convertible loft space, and the open-plan kitchen/breakfast room has French windows to a good-size garden.
Swap of the week: Dalwood, Devon
Cosy up by woodburning stoves or cook a feast in the vaulted kitchen/breakfast room of this 18th-century thatch for £525,000. Three bedrooms overlook cottage gardens and a timber studio makes a perfect home office.
Life-changer: St Erth Praze, Cornwall
Tregenhorne Farm (£550,000) has four acres of paddocks, stables and valley views, minutes from Cornwall's north coast. You can run your own equestrian business from the garden office and the four-bedroom home has a country kitchen with an Aga.
Spotlight on Harpenden
Close to woods and parkland, with good links to London, this small town has a lot to offer those looking to start a new life out of the city.
Property search
Playing the 0-per-cent game
By Alex Sheridan
Still in debt from Christmas? Switching your debt to a nought per cent card could save up to hundreds of pounds in interest charges. Zero per cent balance transfers give cardholders an interest-free breathing space of up to a year or more, allowing time to clear debts.Watch out for fees
The catch with these 0 per cent offers is that they generally levy an upfront fee of three per cent of the transferred sum. Santander, however, is waiving this fee for balance transfers to its Zero card for anyone who is a current account or mortgage customer of the bank - that’s eight million customers. The 0 per cent interest rate lasts for a year.
Who offers the top deals?
For non-customers of Santander it could be worth opening a current account with the bank (formerly Abbey), or its Alliance & Leicester subsidiary, to qualify. Otherwise, non-customers are subject to the three per cent charge upfront. Other cards offer even longer 0 per cent deals: 16 months from Virgin; 15 months from Barclaycard. But both have fees of nearly three per cent.
Warning!
Do not spend on a card that you transfer a balance to. Purchases will generally rack up interest until the 0 per cent debt is cleared.
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Central St Martins gives King's Cross the edge
Central St Martins' new campus is fizzing and the first of 2,000 homes are launched, as 67 acres of King's Cross becomes London's hottest district.
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Mortgage costs fall to an eight-year low
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