UK house prices: Rise in mortgage loans could mean slowdown is ending March 2, 2015 Mortgage approvals edged up in January, Bank of England figures showed yesterday, hinting that the slowdown in the market could be coming to an end. A total of 60,786 loans were approved in January, up from 60,349 in December. However, that is still down from 75,559 in January 2014. “A second successive – albeit small [...]
Housebuilder shares rise as Conservatives promise 200,000 cheap starter homes for first-time buyers March 2, 2015 Shares in the UK's largest housebuilders bounced this morning, after the Conservatives pledged to make 200,000 "starter homes" available cheap for first-time buyers if they win the election. Shares in Taylor Wimpey rose 1.54 per cent to 147p in early trading, while Barratt rose 0.87 per cent to 520p and Persimmon rose 1.36 per cent [...]
UK house prices fall by average of £482 in another signal the property market is cooling March 2, 2015 House prices have fallen for the first time in five months as annual growth in the property market slowed to its lowest rate since September 2013 – yet another signal the market is losing steam. The latest figures from Nationwide show house prices fell 0.1 per cent in February compared to a 0.3 per cent [...]
UK house prices: 20pc discount offered to first-time house buyers in England February 28, 2015 From today, first-time house-buyers under the age of 40 can register for a 20 per cent discount on certain properties in England. The offer is taking place under a new government scheme called “starter homes”, which aims to make more affordable housing for young people on disused brownfield sites. “With average house prices for [...]
UK and London house prices: More proof of a property market slowdown in latest Land Registry figures February 27, 2015 House prices continued to rise at a slower rate than last year – another sign the property market is losing some steam. In January, house prices were up 1.3 per cent on December, however, year-on-year growth of 6.7 per cent for the first month of 2015 signalled a slowdown compared to December when annual growth was [...]
We shouldn’t be scathing of the rental market – it can offer real benefits February 26, 2015 Commentators report that home ownership is down to its lowest point in a generation, while in the same breath claiming that those living in the private rented sector (PRS) are at peak levels. Somehow that always seems to imply that renting is a second class option. Your view on that depends whether you look at [...]
Estate agents charge more than lawyers and private doctors February 26, 2015 Proof that £300 to print a contract is extortionate? High street estate agents charge more per hour than doctors, lawyers and electricians, new research has found. According to online estate agent eMoov, the average high street agent spends between five and 15 hours selling a property – valuing it, marketing it online, hosting viewings and [...]
UK property prices: Three quarters of homes sold for less than their asking price in January February 26, 2015 Here's another sign the UK's property market is losing some of its pizzazz. A new study has found three quarters of homes sold for less than their asking price in January. That's 17 percentage points more than during the same period last year. The January housing market report, by the National Association of Estate Agents [...]
UK property market: Number of mortgage-free homeowners now outstrips those with property loan February 25, 2015 The number of people in the UK who own their home outright has surpassed the number of those with mortgages for the first time since the 1980s. Of the 14.3m who own their house, 7.4m owned outright, compared to 6.9m who bought with a mortgage. Last year these two types of owner were equal, according [...]
Change right-to-buy to stop rural communities becoming out of reach for young families, urges Chartered Institute of Housing February 24, 2015 We've all got used to the fact that young people and those on lower-to-middle incomes are being priced out of the city. Now it seems they are being priced out of the country too. The Chartered Institute of Housing has warned that continuing the right-to-buy scheme as it currently stands is making it increasingly difficult [...]