Slowdown at top and bottom of market hits London house prices March 16, 2015 London property prices fell from February to March, figures released today show. New seller asking prices dropped by 0.4 per cent according to online property market Rightmove. It is the first time in three years that prices have retreated in March. High-end property values saw their asking prices trimmed by 2.6 per cent. Demand [...]
Maximum excitement on Man U v Spurs March 12, 2015 TOTTENHAM will fancy their chances up at Old Trafford on Sunday, as they cling on to their hopes of finishing in the top four. Louis van Gaal is under serious pressure now and he’ll surely be placing emphasis on defence with United’s attack looking rather toothless. Sporting Index allow punters to bet on the time [...]
Slump in home loans expected to be temporary March 10, 2015 Agents and brokers are expecting a pick up in mortgage lending this year after a sluggish end to 2014. Meanwhile, one of the UK’s most-watched house price indicators has changed hands. Gross mortgage lending was 8.1 per cent lower in the final three months of 2014 than in the three months to September, according to [...]
Lord Adair Turner finds something useful to do March 9, 2015 The man who described some banking as socially useless gets a new job – with a bank. It is not unfair to say that Lord Adair Turner has not always been a friend to banks. Turner was a non-executive director at Standard Chartered in the boom years before the crash, and an executive at Merrill [...]
Apple Watch launch: Four questions Tim Cook will answer about price, battery life, UK release date and apps March 9, 2015 So many questions, so few answers – until now. The rumour mill may have been in overdrive about the Apple Watch since Tim Cook first revealed the smartwatch late last year, but we’re about to get the full lowdown on what’s possibly the most anticipated wearable launch ever. At 5pm GMT, Cook will take to [...]
Cheltenham – a special week March 5, 2015 BILL ESDAILE TAKES AT LOOK AT THE BEST OF THE BOOKMAKERS’ CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL SPECIALS WITH only days to go until the start of the Cheltenham Festival, bookmakers are falling over themselves with generous offers to attract new clients. Champion Chase sponsors Betway have pledged to refund all losing bets on their sponsored feature race next [...]
General election jitters? UK house prices fall off the boil in February March 5, 2015 The path to house price equilibrium is an undulating one. After a 1.9 per cent spike in January the average cost of a house fell by 0.3 per cent month-on-month in February, according to the latest data from Halifax. This put the price of the average home slightly lower at £192,372, with some analysts suspecting [...]
Housebuilder shares rise as Conservatives promise 200,000 cheap starter homes for first-time buyers March 2, 2015 Shares in the UK's largest housebuilders bounced this morning, after the Conservatives pledged to make 200,000 "starter homes" available cheap for first-time buyers if they win the election. Shares in Taylor Wimpey rose 1.54 per cent to 147p in early trading, while Barratt rose 0.87 per cent to 520p and Persimmon rose 1.36 per cent [...]
UK house prices: 20pc discount offered to first-time house buyers in England February 28, 2015 From today, first-time house-buyers under the age of 40 can register for a 20 per cent discount on certain properties in England. The offer is taking place under a new government scheme called “starter homes”, which aims to make more affordable housing for young people on disused brownfield sites. “With average house prices for [...]
Lack of supply hitting housing affordability February 26, 2015 HOUSING is still becoming more unaffordable, as demand continues to outstrip supply. The number of houses built in January declined compared with January last year, according to figures released today by the National House Building Council (NHBC). January saw the completion of 11,390 homes, compared to 11,645 in January 2014. However, for the period November to [...]