Savills boss Jeremy Helsby gets £2.2m after record year April 7, 2015 THE PROPERTY market may be something of a minefield to navigate currently, with supply pressures and low interest rates on the one hand and the mortgage market review and the threat of new taxes on the other. But there are no jitters at upmarket estate agent Savills, which awarded its executive directors a healthy jump [...]
Don’t get burned by the buy-to-let boom: Funding retirement with rental income could turn into a disaster April 7, 2015 The new pensions freedoms are finally here and many savers will be considering taking a lump sum from their savings. Investing in a buy-to-let property to fund retirement may seem like a good idea, but pensions experts are warning of the risks. Eighteen years after the creation of the first buy-to-let mortgage, this form of [...]
Savills chief executive Jeremy Helsby takes home £2.2m after record year April 7, 2015 The property market may be something of a minefield to navigate currently, with supply pressures and low interest rates on the one hand and the mortgage market review and the threat of new taxes on the other. But there are no jitters at upmarket estate agent Savills, which awarded its executive directors a healthy jump [...]
Cheaper rates lift approvals to six-month high March 30, 2015 MORTGAGE approvals climbed to a six-month high in February, according to figures released by the Bank of England yesterday Mortgage approvals for house purchases numbered 61,760 in February, up from 60,707 in January. Net mortgage lending rose by £1.74bn, the fastest growth in three months. Recent surveys of the housing market have shown a cooling [...]
Rutland, Chiltern, Uttlesford and South Northamptonshire named as the UK’s best rural places to live March 30, 2015 City workers looking for a country escape may want to try Rutland, which Halifax has today named as the best area in the UK for rural quality of life. “Rutland has moved up 11 places to the top spot in the 2015 Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey. Taking a wide range of economic [...]
UK house prices: March’s Nationwide house price index reveals more proof the property market is cooling March 27, 2015 House prices in the UK inched up just 0.1 per cent in March, a further signal the property market is continuing to cool. That number took annual growth to 5.1 per cent, down from February’s 5.7 per cent, the seventh consecutive monthly slowdown in growth. That means growth is now at an 18-month low. “Economic [...]
London barometer: How General Election uncertainty is influencing home buyers and sellers March 26, 2015 Politics continues to shape the property market as demand falls and supply increases ahead of one of the most divisive elections in generations. The outcome is causing uncertainty in the sales market and a general mood of caution, with some buyers and vendors hedging their bets before committing to selling or buying. Valuations remain consistent [...]
Accounts with benefits: The perks of premium bank accounts March 26, 2015 Nothing says “badge of success” quite like a private bank account. Historically, offering them to customers has been the preserve of the private bank, but in recent years, growing numbers of high street institutions have begun to offer packaged – or premium – accounts to customers with substantial savings and (more often than not) six-figure [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Sue Round talks fund management, sentimentality and being broke March 26, 2015 Buongiorno signora!” bellows the exuberant waiter at Bolton’s, an Italian tucked away in an unassuming corner near Leadenhall Market. “Hello, hellooo” comes the response. I know Sue Round has arrived, even before I see her. She greets me warmly, as if we’ve known each other for years. In fact, I’ve met Sue only once before [...]
Banks are back: How the UK’s banking sector got its mojo back as dividend payments rise March 26, 2015 The UK’s banks are back on form and could be the best place to invest for good and growing dividends. British banks such as Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays were once the best places to invest for solid dividends. Ten years ago, banks provided a quarter of all dividends in the UK market, according to figures [...]