Nobu is selling his Beverly Hills home of many years.

 

After almost two decades in the building, celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his wife Yoko have decided to sell it for $3.599 million. Properties for sale in Doha

The couple paid $1 million for the house in 1994. However, it appears that after Mr. Matsuhisa's prosperous culinary career, it's time to upgrade. According to Curbed, the couple recently paid $15.63 million for a Bel Air mansion previously owned by the owners of Architectural Digest. The 4,300-square-foot Beverly Hills house, built in 1969, has four bedrooms and four bathrooms on a single level open floor plan. According to the listing, the mostly-white interior has a circular living room overlooking the pool with "views of the canyon, treetops, and community," as well as an oversized fireplace.

The house is simple, harkening back to a time before Hollywood mansions were havens for bling and gadgets. The master suite, on the other hand, has two walk-in closets and his and hers bathtubs. The house also has a temperature-controlled wine cellar and an outdoor kitchen, as well as a modern circular living space.

The chef from Los Angeles owns and operates more than 30 high-end sushi-fusion restaurants in cities such as Miami, London, Mexico City, Melbourne, and Moscow.

 

The number of first-time buyers in the United Kingdom has reached a six-year high.

With optimism returning to the market, the number of first-time home buyers in the United Kingdom is skyrocketing.

According to data released today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, 68,200 first-time homebuyers purchased homes in the second quarter of 2013, the highest quarter for first-time buyer lending since 2007.

In June, a total of 25,300 loans were advanced to first-time buyers, up 30% from the 19,400 loans advanced in June of the previous year.

The sum borrowed increased as the number of first-time home buyers increased. In June, the average loan was £117,000, up from £112,500 in May. According to the report, the overall amount of loans advanced to first-time home buyers reached £3.5 billion in June, up 9% from May and 40% higher than last year.

Though house prices have been that, mortgage rates have been declining, keeping first-time buyer loans affordable. The majority of first-time home buyers opt for fixed-rate mortgages.

"Average fixed rates are slightly lower across two, three, and five year products than they were this time last year," Brian Murphy of the Mortgage Advice Bureau told The Telegraph. "The latest data shows average five year fixed rates at 3.83pc - the highest we have seen in recent memory." "The Bank of England has indicated that interest rates would likely benefit mortgage borrowers for the near future, but with rates this low, fixing still looks like the best long-term protection option."

First-time buyers have accounted for 38% of all home purchases since 2007. According to the latest numbers, this category accounted for 46% of all buyers in June.