Most affordable London commuter towns: How a one hour commute can save buyers £500,000 on London house prices October 30, 2017 Living an hour outside London could slash half a million pounds off house prices compared with buying a home in zones one and two of the capital, according to new research. Commuter towns such as Crawley, Windsor, Rochester and Peterborough have an average house prices of £316,000, a survey by Lloyds Bank has found. That [...]
Housing crisis on Budget agenda as groups call for government borrowing to build in London and stamp duty abolition October 30, 2017 The government is being urged to consider major changes to its housing policy ahead of the Budget, ranging from abolishing stamp duty to allowing local authorities to build more homes. In its Budget submission to the Treasury the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) backed a call from chancellor Philip Hammond’s own colleagues to [...]
The tech evolution of the mortgage market October 25, 2017 Babylon, 611 BC: the year of the first recorded loan using real estate as security. Written to Mr. Nabu-etir with an interest rate of 11.3 per cent, our ancient ancestors agreed to the financial instrument that survives two and a half thousand years on. Now this loan forms the bedrock of the modern financial system [...]
Autumn Budget 2017: Treasury understood not to be planning “radical” Budget October 16, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond might be coming under pressure to unveil a “radical” – and vote-winning – Budget, but anyone expecting “big, bold” announcements could yet be disappointed. Hammond, who has in the past said “fiscal” is the best word to describe him, is currently canvassing the opinion of hundreds of MPs and other groups, sifting through thousands of submissions [...]
The 19 UK towns most at risk of a house price bubble: Cleveland, Blackburn and Blackpool come top October 12, 2017 UK house prices may still be rising, but with the Bank of England on the brink of hiking interest rates, the market may be about to change trajectory. Now, by comparing lending levels with house price rises, new research has listed the UK towns and cities most at risk if lending conditions change. Mortgage broker [...]
UK M&A deals tail off as post-Brexit vote reality causes sentiment to weaken according to EY October 9, 2017 After a post-Brexit spike, the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the UK has begun to tail off as deal sentiment weakens. According to EY, the volume of M&A deals completed in the first nine months of this year slipped by 11 per cent compared to 2016 to 2,316. On the flip side, the [...]
UK house prices: Country property prices are much higher than those in the city September 30, 2017 Rural house prices are a fifth more expensive those in cities outside London, according to the Halifax. The average country house price is £263,050, compared with the average urban price of £218,596. The biggest difference is in the West Midlands, where prices are almost 50 per cent more. “Homeowners looking to escape to the country [...]
UK mortgage lending is (almost) at its highest level since April 2008 September 26, 2017 Mortgage lending rose to its second highest level since April 2008 in August, new figures have shown. The figures, by UK Finance, showed total gross lending rose to £24.2bn in August, up 6.4 per cent from last month. The figure is the highest since March 2016, when an impending hike to stamp duty on buy [...]
A life off-grid with no energy bills is closer than you think. Here’s what the future has in store for sustainable homes September 26, 2017 "Right," says eco-developer Sam Budhdeo, rubbing his hands together. “We think we have the solution to climate change.” As openers go, it’s a bold one, but not quite as outlandish as it sounds. The housebuilder who successfully cracks the code to building sustainably – and affordably – would be solving a large part of the [...]
Personality clashes and the poisoned client: The inside story of Bell Pottinger’s collapse September 25, 2017 From the outside, the demise of iconic public relations firm Bell Pottinger appeared to unfold at a dramatic and surprising pace. On Monday 4 September, the company published the findings of a report by lawyers Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) concluding that the firm’s campaign for the Gupta family’s Oakbay Capital in South Africa “was potentially [...]