Housing market looking healthy in latest figures – London Report June 21, 2015 EVIDENCE of improvement in the housing market is expected this week when the British Bankers Association releases its mortgage approvals data for May. The figures, out on Wednesday, are likely to show that approvals for house purchases rose for a fifth consecutive month in May, climbing to a 14-month high of 43,800 from 42,116 in [...]
London house prices: Growth in the capital slows to lowest rate since 2012 June 16, 2015 UK house price growth slowed to 5.5 per cent in the year to May, according to data published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). London’s market was particularly subdued, falling to 4.3 per cent – the capital's lowest figure since October 2012. Read more: Average property price in Kensington and Chelsea rises by £486,000 [...]
First ever tracker mortgage with interest rate below one per cent June 5, 2015 CHELSEA Building Society yesterday unveiled the first ever tracker mortgage with an interest rate below one per cent. Housebuyers who want to borrow under the scheme need to meet stringent restrictions, including having a 35 per cent deposit and paying £1,545 in fees. But if they can do, applicants are rewarded with an interest rate [...]
UK house prices: The return of cheap housing finance? Chelsea Building Society unveils the first tracker mortgage to be launched with an interest rate lower than one per cent June 5, 2015 When the sub-prime mortgage bubble burst, everyone blamed cheap borrowing – but that clearly hasn't perturbed the Chelsea Building Society, which today unveiled the first ever tracker mortgage launched with an interest rate below one per cent. To be fair, housebuyers who want to borrow under the scheme need to meet pretty stringent restrictions, including [...]
UK house prices drop in May: Tug of war as high price-to-earnings ratios and a lack of supply affect market June 4, 2015 UK house prices dropped for the first time in three months this May, according to data from Halifax. The market is feeling the effects of a tug of war as a lack of supply drives prices higher, stretching finances and affecting sentiment. The figures On a monthly basis – the most volatile measure – house [...]
UK house price growth slows to lowest rate in over a year June 3, 2015 UK house price growth slowed in May, with the annual growth rate slowing to an annual rate of 4.6 per cent in May – down from 5.2 per cent in April and the lowest rate since August 2013. The figures The average cost of a house in the UK now stands at £195,166 – the [...]
Mortgage approvals jump in April June 2, 2015 THE NUMBER of mortgage approvals granted for new homes in April shot up at its fastest rate since 2009, but lending to firms is struggling to gain momentum. There were 68,076 mortgages granted for house purchase in April, the Bank of England said yesterday. It marked a 9.9 per cent jump on March’s 61,945. “One [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage approvals have their biggest spike since April 2009 June 2, 2015 The number of mortgages granted in April for new homes grew at its fastest rate since April 2009, according to data from the Bank of England. The figures Some 68,076 mortgages were granted in April for house purchase, compared with 61,945 in March – an increase of 9.9 per cent – the biggest monthly percentage change [...]
Reports reveal services leading the UK recovery – London Report May 31, 2015 THE UK service sector is once again expected to be the star turn as purchasing managers (PMI) reports this week show continued economic growth. Figures due out on Wednesday are expected to show the sector held up well in May, remaining stable at 59.5 (with 50 and above denoting growth) after rising to this level [...]
UK house prices: Are low deposit mortgages propping up the housing market? May 14, 2015 The number of people buying houses with low-value deposits has risen by 7.3 per cent in the last year, according to data analysis by chartered surveyors e.surv. The figures Lending to borrowers who have only small deposits (15 per cent or less of the property’s value) accounted for 16.3 per cent of house purchases in April, [...]