Remortgaging in London hits decade high as homeowners capitalise on competitive deals February 27, 2019 Remortgaging in London has reached a decade-high and the number of first-time buyers also rose at the end of last year, according to UK Finance data. The number of new homeowner remortgages in the capital rose to 60,400 in 2018 – a 6.2 per cent increase on 2017 and the highest annual figure since 2008, [...]
Housebuilder Persimmon profits top £1bn as it names new CEO February 26, 2019 Persimmon made £1.1bn in profits in 2018, the housebuilder confirmed today, as it named a new chief executive. Dave Jenkinson, the finance officer who has been acting chief executive since its former boss left under a cloud over his bonus last year, will take on the role permanently, Persimmon confirmed. Read more: Is Persimmon’s success [...]
Persimmon share price dips in wake of Help to Buy contract fears February 25, 2019 Persimmon was among the biggest FTSE 100 market fallers this evening as fears that the property giant could lose its Help to Buy contract weighed on investor confidence. The developer will be hoping to claw back positive sentiment in the City tomorrow in its full-year profit results, after shares closed down nearly five per cent [...]
Housing minister James Brokenshire ‘concerned’ over Persimmon’s Help to Buy scheme, reports say February 23, 2019 Housing minister James Brokenshire has raised concerns that Persimmon is not operating correctly within the Help-to-Buy scheme, according to reports. Brokenshire is “increasingly concerned” over the behaviour of the UK’s second biggest housebuilder, raising issues over leasehold, build quality and accountability, a source told Reuters. “Leasehold, build quality, their leadership seemingly not getting they’re accountable [...]
Most home purchases made by first-time buyers in 2018, research shows February 23, 2019 The majority of home purchases were made by first-time buyers last year for the first time in 23 years, according to new research. The number of first-time buyers reached 372,000 in 2018, the latest Halifax First-Time Buyer review shows, and now account for more than 50 per cent of all house purchases with a mortgage. [...]
Focus On Roehampton: Thinking of living in Wandsworth? Consider this leafy spot instead and you could save £100,000 February 22, 2019 The thing about university towns is they’re always full of students. This doesn’t just make them a great property investment for Revolution bars and Wetherspoons, but also for landlords who fear void periods, even if it means occasionally having to get Pot Noodle stains out of the carpet. The University of Roehampton – incidentally, the [...]
January deals flat as uncertainty weighs on housing market February 21, 2019 Buyers and sellers in Britain’s housing market remained subdued in January, as stamp duty and Brexit uncertainty added to the traditional New Year slowdown. Data released this morning from HMRC has found that residential deals nudged up by 0.8 per cent between December and January, marking a 1.3 per cent rise on the same period [...]
A Brexit-induced price drop won’t fix the housing crisis February 21, 2019 The last 30 years have seen house prices in London soar to dizzying heights. The average home has leapt from £81,536 in 1988 to £473,882 in 2018 – that’s a 481 per cent increase. If the cost of a pint of milk (26p in 1988) had jumped up at the same pace, it would now [...]
Number of first-time buyers soars to 12-year high February 19, 2019 The number of first-time buyers in Britain reached a 12-year high in 2018, with more competitive asking prices and government schemes such as Help to Buy providing a much-needed boon for hopeful homeowners. According to data released by UK Finance this morning, there were 370,000 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in 2018, marking the highest number [...]
Opinion: Lloyd’s Lend a Hand mortgage is a great deal for the bank, but is it any good for borrowers? February 15, 2019 A “new” mortgage called ‘Lend a Hand’ from Lloyds made the headlines last week – well, the real headline was the 100 per cent Loan-to-Value, which brought back memories of the financial crisis. Digging deeper into the mortgage itself, this product may well help first-time buyers, provided they are very careful, but, really, it is [...]