CITY VIEWS: Do you think house prices are beginning to stabilise?
JONATHAN HIPSON STATE BANK OF INDIA
“I think it depends on the availability of finance. At the moment there is a real squeeze. New buyers are really struggling to get a mortgage, which now requires a 40 per cent deposit paid upfront. And with interest rates going back up, any rise in prices is just not sustainable at the moment.”
PEDRO RODRIGUES CITY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT
In central London, property will always be in short supply which will protect prices and push them back up. There’s always a lot of interest in the London market, and now the pound has fallen there is even more interest from overseas investors.
KEVIN GREEN CONOPIOUS
I think house prices are rising slightly – there’s more confidence in the market. The housing markets are all about cycles, and I think we’re on the up. There’s better mortgage deals too. You have to put down more as a deposit, but the rates are better.
JONATHAN TAYLOR-SABINE 360T TRADING
“I think they are going sideways – I put a house on the market in Henley a year ago and at the time it wasn’t picked up. But I’m thinking of putting it back on the market as prices have risen again. They haven’t fallen any more, I think we’re over the worst.”