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There’s a misconception that hi-tech homes can’t also be knock-your-socks-off beautiful. Speakers, televisions and the smart panels that control audio systems, heating and lighting are just eyesores that get in the way of a well-designed interior – aren’t they? If that visual clutter is catching your eye, you’re simply not doing it right. Interior designers, working hand-in-hand with specialist tech firms, go to huge lengths to cleverly conceal everything.

Mortgage approvals jumped to a two-year high in January, according to lending figures from the Bank of England. Some 74,581 mortgages with a total value of £13.9 billion were approved for house purchases in January, the highest figure seen since 76,104 approvals were recorded in January 2014.

House prices reached a record high of £208,286 in December after leaping by 9.5pc during 2015, according to Halifax. December's 9.5pc year-on-year rise was also an improvement on the 9pc annual increase recorded in November. Across the UK, average property prices ticked up 1.7pc between November and December.