UK house prices: Number of first-time buyers soar to highest level since the financial crash January 6, 2015 The number of first-time buyers soared to its highest level since 2007 last year, according to The Halifax. Last year the number of first-time buyers rose to 326,500, up 22 per cent on 2013, representing the highest number of first-time buyers since the financial crash of 2008. Halifax said the cost of putting down a [...]
Bank of England: Mortgage approvals fall to 17-month low January 2, 2015 The number of mortgages rubber-stamped by banks dropped again in November, although by less than analysts had expected. Nevertheless, the figure is a 17-month low, underlining the trajectory of the market. During the month, banks approved 59,029 mortgages, down from 59,511 in October, but above the 58,500 analyst consensus. The fall has been a [...]
UK house price growth slows again: Can stamp duty save the market in 2015? December 30, 2014 We know the drill by now – slowing house price growth in many areas as demand wanes and the murmurings about a base rate rise reflect the logic that no matter what, it’s getting closer. Why exactly demand is waning remains something of a mystery (more of that later). Nationwide’s figures this month [...]
UK house prices: Housebuilding won’t meet demand, so will 2015 lead to a worsening supply shortage? December 29, 2014 Despite the slowing housing market, a surplus of demand and dearth of properties could lead the housing market into crisis in 2015. A survey by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has revealed many of its members believe that government plans to build new homes will not do enough to sate demand. [...]
UK house prices 2014: Which area saw the most growth? December 28, 2014 After a roller-coaster year for house prices the results are in: the London borough of Greenwich is the place for price rises. According to data from Halifax, house prices in Greenwich rose 24.6 per cent over the course of 2014, far above the national average of 8.5 per cent and almost twice that of the [...]
Where could you buy a house for your salary in the UK? Use our property price calculator to find out how much real estate you can afford December 23, 2014 Click on the buttons in the top right to reveal the layers Inside every Briton is a property investor trying to get out. Our neighbours in continental Europe love to rent, but an English person’s home is his or her castle. There is just one barrier to this dream of home-ownership: house prices have risen [...]
London house prices and UK rent rises to slow in 2015 December 18, 2014 London house prices are set to stall in 2015, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said today. Prices in the UK are forecast to grow by three per cent in 2015, yet in the capital growth will be zero. Rents in the UK are expected to increase by just two per [...]
Huh? Rightmove offers real-time data technology as the battle of the property portals heats up December 18, 2014 As online property portals draw their battle lines in the fight for estate agent loyalty, something weird's going on. Rightmove has just offered the technical specifications for its real-time data feed to its rivals. For free. It might sound like a small thing, but in an industry where technology is moving fast, Rightmove's speedy listings [...]
The UK’s “tiniest detached property” goes on sale for £100,000 December 18, 2014 Into minimalism? This might be the home for you. A home dubbed "Britain's smallest detached house" has gone on sale through local estate agent Haybrook in Sheffield, with a bargain price tag of £99,950. Built on the grounds of a mansion which has since been turned into flats, the Coach House in Brincliffe [...]
This £45m mansion could have just netted the government £5.3m in stamp duty December 18, 2014 A 19-bedroom Mayfair mansion that's just been sold with an asking price of £45m may have just made the government £5.3m. Seven Balfour Place from the outside The 13,000 sq ft mansion, on Balfour Place, also comes with seven reception rooms, six kitchens, 17 bathrooms and a roof terrace. The company in charge of selling [...]