Impressive returns

Two properties recently acquired, refurbished and let out by London Central Portfolio on behalf of clients, are indicative of in-demand property in the lead-up to the Olympic Games. On Moorhouse Road, Artesian Village, Notting Hill, a one-bedroom flat with a period conversion was purchased for GBP500,000 (HK$6.06 million). The other property, a two-bedroom flat on Marylebone High Street, Marylebone Village, cost GBP675,000. Each yields a rental return of almost 5 per cent, and the company estimates that taking into account long-term average growth in central London of 9 per cent and a 65 per cent mortgage, investors' equity could increase 'by more than three times over eight years'.