UK House prices are on course to fall below £300,000 in December December 12, 2016 The UK's house prices are on course to fall below £300,000 in December – and house price growth is likely to weaken next year, new figures have shown. The Rightmove House Price Index showed prices are on course to fall 2.1 per cent in December, after a 1.1 per cent fall in November. That will put [...]
Revealed: The “deeply worrying” decline of buy-to-let sales after the government’s “war on landlords” December 9, 2016 Sales of buy-to-let homes have plummeted more than half in the last 12 months, after the government launched a "war on landlords". Figures by estate agent Haart showed the number of properties sold as rental homes in England and Wales fell 63.7 per cent in the year to November, while the number of landlords registering [...]
The London luxury properties that have had their prices slashed by over 30 per cent December 7, 2016 London's high-end homes are in crisis. House prices in prime central London have been falling since 2014, when former chancellor George Osborne slapped higher rates of stamp duty on homes worth over £1m. This year, he introduced a further three per cent hike for people buying second homes. Read more: This is how far house prices have fallen [...]
Remortgaging valuations surge and drive rest of mortgage market as homeowners try to lock in low interest rate deals December 7, 2016 Homeowners scrambling to lock into mortgage deals before a rise in interest rates drove remortgaging valuations to surge almost 25 per cent year-on-year in November. Remortgaging outperformed all other mortgage market valuation activity last month, according to research from Connells Survey & Valuation, rising 4.9 per cent compared to October. Read more: Time to remortgage? [...]
Wanted: A bold government housing strategy that delivers for the young rather than the old December 6, 2016 If Brexit wasn’t dominating British politics, then one other issue would be: the lack of housing. If you know someone under 30, living in London and able to afford their first home, then your friend belongs to the country’s richest percentile. For most people, even for those on what used to be a decent median income, owning [...]
Focus On Maida Vale: Why financiers and celebrities flock to the birthplace of the London mansion block December 5, 2016 The London mansion block has never been so popular, yet there are only a finite number in existence. While many luxury property developers are seeking to reinvent them for the 21st century for a tidy profit, the birthplace of the original – the real white-stuccoed deal – is still Maida Vale in north west London. [...]
This is why insurers should be doing more M&A December 1, 2016 Insurers that complete an M&A deal are flying ahead of their peers. A year after agreeing a deal, the share prices of insurance companies have been outperforming their competitors', according to research by Willis Towers Watson, the Cass Business School and Mergermarket. Read more: Insurance premium tax has been hiked… again The group looked at all M&A [...]
Focus On Peckham: How it went from Only Fools fame to be the first time buyer capital of London November 25, 2016 Whatever you think about 2016, it’s been a billboard year for Peckham. Two large houses near Peckham Rye station sold £2.5m this year, a record price for the area, firmly cementing SE15’s fast-growing reputation as a desirable place to live. It’s not bad for an area that is embedded in the national psyche as the [...]
New Builds: Homes on sale this week on a new town square in Ealing and Help to Buy in Sydenham November 25, 2016 Dylon Works, Sydenham From £227,997 with Help to Buy London, from £389,995 for private sale apartments Over 200 homes will go on sale tomorrow, with the option to take out a 40 per cent equity loan via the government’s Help to Buy London scheme. Primed for first time buyers, 221 out of 223 one to three bedroom [...]
A lack of digital prowess in the finance sector is hindering growth November 24, 2016 Lack of digital prowess in the finance sector is hindering growth. Here’s a sobering statistic. The average client-facing professional in the financial industry achieves a score of 20 on LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index (SSI.) The maximum score is 100. LinkedIn’s SSI measures the promotional competence of individuals, companies and industries on the networking site. The [...]