Stamp duty cut boosts house buyer deposits January 20, 2015 HOUSE buyers have redirected their stamp duty payments into bigger deposits after the Autumn Statement tax cut, the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) said today. The mortgage broker said deposits reached their highest level in 14 months in December. Average buyers’ deposits stood at 30.7 per cent of the total price paid in December, up from a [...]
London house prices: Unseasonable heat in the capital’s housing market January 19, 2015 After a muted end to 2014, London house prices grew 0.9 per cent in January, compared to just 0.2 per cent in the first month of 2014. 10 of the 32 boroughs surveyed by Rightmove reported asking prices having dropped in January, with the positive score for the region pushed up by some top performers. [...]
Christmas wasn’t so bad for Thorntons after all, with retail sales up in the second quarter January 19, 2015 The figures Shares in chocolate retailer Thorntons opened almost two per cent higher after it posted figures showing like-for-like retail sales went up by five per cent in the second quarter of 2014 – a turnaround from the 3.7 per cent decline in its first quarter. In the 14 weeks to 10 January, the [...]
Rush to avoid higher stamp duty lifts estate agent Savills’ profits January 15, 2015 ESTATE agent Savills has hiked its profit guidance for 2014 after changes to stamp duty came into effect at the end of last year, sending shares surging 7.3 per cent. Revenue and profit exceeded forecasts in December after a sales boost from the rise in stamp duty for properties priced over £937,000 introduced in chancellor [...]
Savills share price surges on profit outlook upgrade thanks to Stamp Duty changes January 15, 2015 Estate agent Savills has upgraded its profit outlook for 2014 after changes to stamp duty came into effect at the end of last year, sending shares surging almost nine per cent in early trading. Revenue and profit exceeded forecasts in December after a sales boost from the rise in Stamp Duty for properties priced over [...]
London house prices to drop as surveyors see slowdown January 14, 2015 SURVEYORS are predicting a fall in London house prices in 2015, new survey data shows today. Surveyors in London are anticipating a decline in prices of two to five per cent, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The price falls are expected to go along with a five to 10 per cent [...]
London house prices: Can stamp duty save the capital from a demand crisis? January 14, 2015 Demand for houses has been falling in the housing market for six months, or eight if you live in London. It doesn’t feel so long ago we were talking about booms and whispering of bubbles, but that's gone for now. The latest figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors reveals that 10 per cent [...]
Mapped: The most unaffordable places to get a mortgage in the UK January 8, 2015 Last year the bar was raised for first-time buyers hoping to get a mortgage, as the Bank of England introduced new rules limiting the amount banks and building societies can lend. For the first time, the amount mortgage customers can borrow has been capped at 4.5 times their income. If you're looking to buy that [...]
UK house prices growing at the slowest rate since November 2012 January 8, 2015 House prices grew by 0.3 per cent in December, their slowest rate since the three months to November 2012, according to data released by Halifax. Today's data is further evidence of a sluggish housing market in the second half of the year, slowing from a peak of 3.5 per cent for the three months to [...]
First-time buyer sales up by 22 per cent last year January 6, 2015 HOUSE sales to first-time buyers rose by 22 per cent last year with 326,500 taking their first steps onto the property ladder. The rise in new buyers means sales at this end of the market are back to 2007 levels, at the start of the financial crisis. The figures, published by lender Halifax, show that [...]