Classy and classic should avoid the crunch

The class divide is alive in London. If your home is flawlessly finished and impeccably located, you’ll still find the buyers lining up, whether you live in the leafy squares of Central London or deep in suburban commuter land.

Agents report that prices are between 10 per cent and 15 per cent lower than the highs reached last summer. But even with such reductions, predictions that prices will fall even farther mean that a single flaw is enough to scare off buyers, who are quickly made nervous by as little as a thoughtlessly planned extension or too much road noise. If it is not the best in its class, it’s not good enough.

At the top end, in the very best postcodes of Chelsea, Mayfair and Knightsbridge, demand remains unconstrained. Cash-rich international buyers still stalk the market, with £5 million or more to spend, looking for a London bolthole. They are also in the market for landmark, stucco-fronted homes for more than £10 million.

Ed Mead, of Douglas and Gordon, reports increased activity from Indians and Russians. But, he says: “Most of the activity is from countries in euroland. Between the strengthening of the currency, and the reduction in prices, the deals look very good to them. The staff in my office speak five languages and I rarely hear them in English.”

But agents say that the gloss is coming off even these homes, as the gloom that afflicted the national market has spread to Central London. Miles Shipside, of the property website Rightmove, says: “The super-rich have got the funds but they are canny buyers. If they think they can get something cheaper later, they’ll wait.”

Should international buyers close their cheque books, sellers will be left to brave the demands of the British buyer: the best home of its kind, for the sharpest price. Marc Goldberg, of Hamptons, says: “Nobody is willing now to pay over the odds for any property, and everyone wants a bargain.”

That is quickly translating into pressure on prices. Ed Mead advises: “Prices were reduced 10-15 per cent almost in unison. But now, anyone who wants an easy life and a sale must reduce prices another 10 per cent from what they think is a reasonable price. That adds up to a fall of 25 per cent.” The fast deterioration of the market has been blamed on the loss of bonus cash, which did so much to boost prices in the past two years. With job security under question and bonuses forecast to be slim, City buyers have gone on strike. David Salvi, of Salvi Hurford Carr, says: “You could draw a line between east and west. The west is relatively unaffected, whereas the farther east you go the worse it gets. Docklands has been badly hit.”