London's luxury home sellers turn to WhatsApp as private sales surge – CNBC

A growing number of Londoners are opting for novel means of buying and selling their properties, with WhatsApp emerging as a new home for luxury listings.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — In trying times for the U.K. real estate market, a growing number of Londoners are opting for novel means of buying and selling their properties, with WhatsApp emerging as a new home for luxury listings.Off-market home sales surged in the British capital in the final three months of 2022, according to U.K. estate agents Hamptons International, accounting for more than one-in-five (22.3%) transactions — its highest percentage on record.The uptick coincides with a period of turmoil for the U.K. property market, during which lenders pulled hundreds of residential mortgage deals and new homebuyer enquiries plunged following then Prime Minister Liz Truss’ chaotic “mini-budget.”Hamptons senior analyst, David Fell, said that led some vendors to “test the water” discretely without leaving a “digital footprint” and potentially hurting future sale prospects.Sellers have been increasingly looking to test pricing quietly without leaving a digital footprint.David Fellsenior analyst, Hamptons International”Sellers have been increasingly looking to test pricing quietly without leaving a digital footprint, particularly if they chose to take their home off the
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