A little slice of paradise for less August 27, 2014 The thought of breaking free from the morning commute and escaping to a peaceful overseas hideaway is something we’ve all thought about. With an increasing number of airports serving routes to remote European destinations, it’s becoming easier to board a short-haul flight from the city and be transported to a tranquil town or village [...]
Foxtons’ share price is getting hammered, despite 57pc profit rise August 27, 2014 Foxtons has reported a 57.1 per cent rise in pre-tax profit for the six months to 30 June. The increase to £23.1m from £14.7m in 2013 was driven by strong sales and mortgage broking growth, according to its interim report. It announced it will pay out £12.8m of this in interim and special [...]
Scottish rents rise as estate agents blame tenancy fees ban August 26, 2014 Scottish estate agents are blaming the country’s ban on tenancy fees for a recent rise in rents, indicating that the Labour party may face a similar challenge if it brings in the same rule for the UK after 2015. Your Move, a large network of Scottish estate agencies, argues today that a 2.7 per cent [...]
UK property prices: Mortgage approvals fall as cooling measures take their toll August 26, 2014 Mortgage approvals fell in June as cooling measures introduced by the Bank of England took effect, figures by the British Bankers' Association (BBA) showed on Tuesday. The number of mortgages doled out fell to just under 42,800, from 43,200 in June. Gross mortgage borrowing also fell to £10.9bn in July from £11.1bn in June. But [...]
Jeremy Hunt should scrap plain cigarette packaging August 25, 2014 After Australia passed a first-of-its-kind law in 2012 mandating that all cigarettes be sold in plain brown packaging free of branding, UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt vowed to keep a close eye on the Australian law’s progress before introducing similar legislation in the UK. Two years later, the Australian bill has failed to reduce smoking, [...]
UK house prices may be rising, but it’s better to buy than to rent August 25, 2014 It is cheaper to handle the costs associated with buying a house rather than paying rent according to data from Halifax. While this fact is not new – Halifax's data suggests it's been the case since 2009 – it is interesting that despite a rise in house prices over the last year (up 10.2 per cent [...]
Rent or buy? First-time buyers in London save £1,000 a year compared to renting as mortgage rates remain low August 23, 2014 Londoners managing to jump on the property ladder are saving £984 a year by making mortgage repayments instead of paying rent as a result of low rates and rising rental prices. New home owners in the capital are pocketing more money than any other region along with first-time buyers in the West Midlands, saving £984 [...]
Highest number of first-time homebuyers since before the crash August 21, 2014 The numbers of first-time buyers jumped by 25 per cent in the year to July, according to data out today from LSL Property Services. A total of 30,000 first-time buyers snapped up a property last month, the highest number since August 2007. They paid an average of £151,844, a price which has risen eight per [...]
Mortgage lending surges again despite housing market wobble August 20, 2014 MORTGAGE lending hit its highest level in six years in July, industry data showed yesterday, dampening worries that the housing market was slowing down. Banks and building societies gave out £19.1bn in home loans last month, up 15 per cent compared with July 2013. That figure is seven per cent higher than the level just one [...]
Lucky Voice karaoke bar sold by British Land for £26m August 20, 2014 British Land has sold the site of Martha Lane Fox’s Lucky Voice karaoke bar in London for £26m. The UK’s second largest property company said yesterday it had sold the freehold of 52 Poland Street to Amazon Property – a company unrelated to the online retail giant – in order to focus on other projects [...]