House sales up again with flood of new buyers September 11, 2014 The housing market resurged again in July, defying expectations that activity was slowing down, industry figures revealed yesterday. The number of first-time buyers surged by 25 per cent in the year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). More than 30,000 bought a place on the housing ladder in the month, the biggest number since [...]
Housing market goes in reverse over August September 10, 2014 A fall in both house sales and mortgage approvals in August has backed growing evidence that the booming property market is at last slowing. A Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) survey showed the number of agreed house sales in August fell for the first time since September 2012, and new buyer enquiries fell for [...]
Oil, childcare and mortgages: Last hurrah for Scottish independence campaigns as leaders go head to head on Mumsnet September 10, 2014 The two faces of the Scottish independence campaigns got their final chance to go head-to-head today – on women's networking site Mumsnet. While Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling kept references to "Darling Son" and "Darling Daughter" to a minimum, they did broach topics including the impact separation would have on mortgages and childcare. There was [...]
How to save up for a house deposit September 9, 2014 With property prices surging in recent years – by 19.3 per cent in London in the 12 months to June, according to ONS data – the amount needed for a house deposit has shot up. The latest figures from LSL Property Services show that the average first-time buyer put down just over £30,000 for a [...]
House prices show market finally cooling September 8, 2014 HOUSE prices rose by just 0.1 per cent in August, according to the Halifax index, showing that the UK’s fast-moving property market is finally slowing down. The small increase took the average price to £186,270, with prices in the three months to August three per cent higher than the previous quarter and 9.7 per cent [...]
Is the UK property market finally cooling? House price growth slows to 3pc September 8, 2014 House prices grew just three per cent in the three months to August, down from 3.5 per cent in July, figures published this morning showed – another sign of cooling market conditions. The figures, by Halifax, showed prices rose 9.7 per cent in the year to August, down from July's 10.2 per cent, and just [...]
PMQs: David Cameron hijacked by ‘Yes’ poster as he hits out at Scottish Independence campaign September 3, 2014 David Cameron was interrupted by an SNP member waving a 'Yes' poster as he attempted to derail arguments for Scottish independence at Prime Minister's Questions today. The Prime Minister had an unusually easy time of it at the pre-lunch session, with many in the House of Commons asking questions that allowed him to go over well-worn [...]
Why interest rate rises won’t push voters into Ed Miliband’s arms September 1, 2014 We all know they are coming, even if not quite yet. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is not expected to change interest rates this week, but its inaction is unlikely to last for long. In August, dissenters appeared on the MPC for the first time since 2011, with two members voting for an [...]
London Report: Economic data to show UK recovery on a steady course August 31, 2014 ECONOMIC data due this week appears to show continuing steady growth in the UK’s economy, with little chance of an interest rate rise when the Bank of England announces its latest decision on Thursday. Mortgage approvals data for July, due today, may have dipped slightly, but analysts expect this weakness to be temporary. Meanwhile manufacturing [...]
Watchdog slaps £14.5m fine on RBS for advice August 27, 2014 THE ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) was slapped with a £14.47m fine by the UK’s main banking watchdog yesterday over the quality of its mortgage advice. The penalty relates to two reviews of sales undertaken in 2012 – the Finance Conduct Authority (FCA) said that only two of the 164 mortgage agreements reviewed met the required standard, [...]