Slump in home loans expected to be temporary March 10, 2015 Agents and brokers are expecting a pick up in mortgage lending this year after a sluggish end to 2014. Meanwhile, one of the UK’s most-watched house price indicators has changed hands. Gross mortgage lending was 8.1 per cent lower in the final three months of 2014 than in the three months to September, according to [...]
General election jitters? UK house prices fall off the boil in February March 5, 2015 The path to house price equilibrium is an undulating one. After a 1.9 per cent spike in January the average cost of a house fell by 0.3 per cent month-on-month in February, according to the latest data from Halifax. This put the price of the average home slightly lower at £192,372, with some analysts suspecting [...]
House prices fell in February on slow demand… March 2, 2015 BRITAIN’S housing market saw a tiny readjustment in February, as prices fell on the month, Nationwide figures showed yesterday. On a monthly basis prices fell 0.1 per cent to an average of £187,964. That compares with a rise of 0.3 per cent in January, and is the first fall since September 2014. On an annual [...]
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 [...]