Property analysts forecast strong spring as stamp duty deadline looms January 10, 2025 Activity in the UK’s property market closely followed government policies on tax last year, something set to continue as the reality of the stamp duty deadline sinks in for first-time buyers. Real estate experts have predicted a burst of activity in early spring ahead of the end of stamp duty relief for first homes, which [...]
Foxtons acquires commuter town estate agents in expansion drive October 29, 2024 Estate agents Foxtons has acquired two smaller companies in commuter towns as it looks to expand its presence in the lettings market. Haslams, in Reading, and Imagine, in Watford, will be bought by Foxtons for £7.6m and £5m respectively. The acquisitions will increase Foxtons’ footprint to 64 branches, as well as delivering an extra 2,900 [...]
Barratt Redrow: Builder outlines growth plans after merger October 23, 2024 Barratt Redrow outlined its growth plans today in its first trading update as a combined group. Created by the merger of homebuilders Barrett and Redrow, the combined group has laid out plans to build 22,000 homes a year in the medium term. That would make it one of the UK’s largest house builders. In its [...]
Galliford Try hikes dividend as profit surges October 3, 2024 Galliford Try has reported a more than tripling in annual profit and hiked its dividend as the housebuilder's earnings surpassed analysts' expectations.
Millions set for mortgage payment shock this year October 2, 2024 Mortgagors refinancing over the next year will continue to see a big jump in their monthly repayments.
UK house prices: ‘Only the Autumn Budget could derail this train’ September 6, 2024 UK house prices grew at their fastest annual rate since November 2022, although analysts have already started to warn about the effects of a potentially bruising Autumn budget. Prices rose by 4.3 per cent year on year and 0.3 per cent month on month, taking the price of the average property in the UK to £292,505, [...]
Berkeley: On track but government housing plans require a ‘change of attitude’ September 6, 2024 Housebuilder Berkeley is on track to deliver £525m of pre-tax profit for the full year, according to an update from the firm this morning. The business, which is based in Cobham, England, said 90 per cent of this profit has already been secured through exchanged sales contracts. Berkeley also said it is “fully committed” to [...]
Barratt: Profit halves at housebuilder but firm optimistic after Redrow deal September 4, 2024 Housebuilder Barratt reported a halving in profit and drop in completions amid a challenging housing market, but has said it is optimistic about the future. Barratt said its total home completions in the year ended 30 June reached 14,004, down 18.6 per cent from 17,206 in 2023 but at the upper end of the company’s [...]
Mortgage borrowing hits highest level in nearly two years August 30, 2024 The amount of mortgage debt Brits took on in July reached its highest level since November 2022 in another sign that consumer confidence is returning. Brits borrowed £2.8bn of mortgage debt in July, the highest since £.2bn in November 2022 and up from £2.6bn in June, according to the latest Money and Credit data from [...]
Savills: Bank of Mum and Dad to pay out almost £30bn over the next three years August 16, 2024 First-time buyers will receive almost £30bn in financial support from their parents over the next three years as the housing ladder slips increasingly out of reach for independent young buyers. Gifts and loans from the Bank of Mum and Dad totalled £9.4bn in 2023, according to the latest analysis from property firm Savills. This figure [...]