Fistful of dollars: Donald-Dodgers eye posh London homes

Estate agents in prime areas of central London have seen an increase in prospective buyers from the US, including from so-called ‘Donald Dodgers’ keen to put an ocean between themselves and Trump.

Others, regardless of political affiliation, are simply attracted by a bargain. For dollar buyers, high-end London property is 43 per cent cheaper than in 2014, according to the latest Wealth Report from estate agent Knight Frank.

In 2024 house prices in Belgravia, Knightsbridge and other posh parts of the capital slipped by 2 per cent, according to separate data from rival agency Savills. Prices ended the year 20 per cent below their peak in 2014.

Recent buyers of early 19th Century townhouses and de luxe contemporary apartments include American fashion designer Tom Ford.

Some of the affluent American home-buyers are buying a second property, but others are making a more permanent move. A record 6,100 Americans applied to become UK citizens in 2024, a year-on-year rise of 26 per cent.

Post-election US buyers make up one in five of purchasers at The Whiteley apartments in the former department store near London’s Hyde Park. The 139 flats range in price from £1.8 million to £39.5 million.

Americans made up a quarter of those who snapped up a London property worth £15 million or more in 2024, but they do like to negotiate.

A US tech billionaire is said to have bought the Holme – a mansion in Regent’s Park nicknamed the White House due to its similarity to the building in Washington. He paid £139 million, having secured a £111 million discount on the asking price.