Property’s Generation Y turned out in force on 29 May to share the travails of buying and renting property in London.
The breakfast forum, organised by the CBRE Young Professionals and held at CBRE’s West End office, was entitled Living in London – to Buy, to Rent, or to Leave.
Mark Collins, chairman of CBRE Residential, set the scene with an overview of the team’s recent projects. Jennet Siebrits, head of residential research, then took centre stage to compare the difference between buying a house in the capital now and 18 years ago, when she left university. More than 100 people listened as she explained how her first flat cost £65,000 at the time. A similar flat has a £315,000 price tag today. In an insightful explanation for the increased prices, she empathised over the wildly increased up-front costs buyers currently face.
Following personal accounts of buying from CBRE’s Alex Greaves and Cameron Smith, the forum concluded with a Q&A session with Jack Widdup, head of land at Redrow Homes.
