Think the UK is expensive? Hong Kong tops global house price rankings – while prices have fallen the most in Ukraine June 11, 2015 If you thought UK house prices were rising at an unmanageable level, spare a thought for the residents of Hong Kong, where prices have jumped 18.7 per cent in the past year, according to Knight Frank's latest global house price index. Turkey is next, with a year-on-year rise of 18.6 per cent, while prices in [...]
UK house price growth expected to surge as post-election supply bounce lacking June 10, 2015 Hopes for a post-election surge in the supply of houses to the market have failed to materialise, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said today. “Tight supply conditions continue to be a key factor underpinning prices, with fresh instructions to sell becoming increasingly sparse while average stocks per surveyor fell to a new record [...]
These are the 20 London streets where estate agents are making the most money June 9, 2015 It turns out London’s streets really are paved with gold – for estate agents, anyway, who have earn £10m in fees for sales in London’s 20 most expensive roads over the past 18 months. According to research from website HouseSimple, 80 properties sold in the top 20 prime locations sold for an average of £5.3m, [...]
UK house prices: Building new properties doesn’t drive down prices, study shows June 7, 2015 Building new properties doesn't drive down house prices, according to a study by the London School of Economics. By looking at the price impacts of a series of Barrat Homes developments in suburbs and villages over the past five years, the researchers found no evidence of a price depreciation. In fact, in some cases [...]
A room with a view? A house in a national park could cost you 93 per cent more than the average June 5, 2015 How much would you pay for a room with a view? House prices in Britain’s national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) are commanding up to 125 per cent more than the average house price in their host counties, according to research from Knight Frank. In 10 of the country’s 13 national parks, [...]
UK house prices: The return of cheap housing finance? Chelsea Building Society unveils the first tracker mortgage to be launched with an interest rate lower than one per cent June 5, 2015 When the sub-prime mortgage bubble burst, everyone blamed cheap borrowing – but that clearly hasn't perturbed the Chelsea Building Society, which today unveiled the first ever tracker mortgage launched with an interest rate below one per cent. To be fair, housebuyers who want to borrow under the scheme need to meet pretty stringent restrictions, including [...]
UK house prices drop in May: Tug of war as high price-to-earnings ratios and a lack of supply affect market June 4, 2015 UK house prices dropped for the first time in three months this May, according to data from Halifax. The market is feeling the effects of a tug of war as a lack of supply drives prices higher, stretching finances and affecting sentiment. The figures On a monthly basis – the most volatile measure – house [...]
David Cameron defends Right to Buy scheme after Harriet Harman attacks housing policy June 3, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron defended his government’s housing policies in the first Prime Minister’s Questions session of the new parliament yesterday. Acting leader of the opposition Harriet Harman attacked the Prime Minister’s plan to extend Margaret Thatcher’s “Right to Buy,” scheme, which will allow housing association tenants to buy their homes at a discount of [...]
UK house prices: The proportion of house buyers shunning mortgages for cash purchases has hit a record high June 3, 2015 More people than ever before are buying houses without the need for a mortgage, according to new figures. Almost four in 10 people (38 per cent) paid for their properties in cash during the first quarter of the year, Nationwide has said. This mitigated subdued mortgage lending data to some extent. There are signs that [...]
UK house price growth slows to lowest rate in over a year June 3, 2015 UK house price growth slowed in May, with the annual growth rate slowing to an annual rate of 4.6 per cent in May – down from 5.2 per cent in April and the lowest rate since August 2013. The figures The average cost of a house in the UK now stands at £195,166 – the [...]