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 [...]
Scotland’s prime property market leaps as buyers race to avoid stamp duty increase February 23, 2015 The number of upmarket homes being sold in Scotland jumped 88 per cent between the second quarter and the fourth quarter of last year, and more than double the figure for the first three months of the year, as buyers raced to avoid a hike in transaction costs due to take place later this year. [...]
Young Britons squeezed out of owning homes as low rates drive up UK house prices February 19, 2015 Brits in their 20s are half as likely as the previous generation to own their own home, a study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed yesterday, as low interest rates and a lack of construction have driven up prices. Only 20 per cent of 25-year-olds own their home now, compared with 45 per cent 20 [...]
UK house prices expected to slow but will stay at elevated levels February 19, 2015 Expectations of house prices dropped to an 18-month low this month, new figures show today. The Future House Price Index produced by estate agents Knight Frank and Markit fell to a score of 68.2, down from January’s 69.5. Any figure over 50 indicates prices are rising, and the higher the figure, the steeper the increase. [...]
London’s house prices fall 2.3pc over six months February 17, 2015 LONDON’S house price boom ground to a halt at the end of 2014, official figures showed yesterday, while prices across the rest of the country continued to rise modestly. The average British property in December cost £272,000, up 0.7 per cent on the month and 9.8 per cent on the year. By contrast, London homes [...]