UK housing marktet: Record low rates spur mortgage lending climb September 9, 2015 Record low borrowing costs and competition between banks led to a rise in mortgage lending from April to June, figures released by the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority showed yesterday. The total value of mortgages advanced was £52.5bn over the period, a 15.1 per cent jump on the same time last year. The [...]
House prices: China stock market crash ripples add to overseas and UK property costs September 9, 2015 City A.M. billed it as ‘Shanghai Shockwave’ and that summed up the wider impact of China’s great sell-off. Stock markets tumbled the world over and mainstream newspapers conveyed public concerns over pensions and investments. The currency market was also rocked. The pound weakened sharply against the euro as expectations of a Bank of England interest [...]
Prime central London house price growth at its lowest in five years thanks to China and stamp duty September 7, 2015 Prices of homes in some of London's most exclusive areas grew at their lowest in more than five years in August, new figures have suggested. The Prime Central London Sales Index, by upmarket estate agent Knight Frank, has found annual house price growth dropped to 1.7 per cent in August, the lowest rate since November [...]
Mayoral race 2016: Homes for Londoners is the key to solving the housing crisis, claims Tessa Jowell September 7, 2015 London’s housing crisis isn't just a problem for the hundreds of thousands in temporary accommodation or stuck on housing waiting lists, or the young people unable to afford a deposit or exploited by rogue landlords. It’s a problem for our whole city. For London to continue to thrive we have remain an attractive proposition for [...]
Cala Homes targets £1bn sales by 2020 after record profits September 7, 2015 Upmarket housebuilder Cala Group delivered a record number of house sales last year as part of a major expansion drive that will see it reach £1bn sales in the next five years. The Edinburgh-based group, which was sold by Lloyds Banking Group to Legal & General and private equity firm Patron Capital a year ago, [...]
UK housing supply shortage makes Britain a hotspot for residential property investors September 6, 2015 Britain’s housing shortage combined with the country’s strong economic growth has made it the fourth best place in the world if you are looking to park cash in residential property. The UK housing market, which has seen prices climb by 20 per cent over the past five years, was ranked behind only the US, [...]
Citizens Advice warns of ticking timebomb for one million interest-only mortgage customers September 4, 2015 One million interest-only mortgage customers are sitting on a ticking timebomb, with no idea how they'll pay off their mortgage once their term is up, a charity has warned. Citizens Advice said this morning that while 1.7m people with interest-only mortgage products have no linked repayment vehicle, such as an endowment or Isa, 934,000 of [...]
London property focus on North Greenwich: Affordable homes by the riverside September 4, 2015 Fancy a night out in North Greenwich? No, not that one with the market, the chapels, the observatory and the ship. The other one with the O2 Arena and… not much else. It’s a hard sell, truth be told, so imagine how much harder it must be to convince someone to live there. Once a [...]
Night Tube series: Top seven places to buy a house in London along the Jubilee Line September 4, 2015 With the Night Tube delayed for the time being, now is the best time to consider buying in an area that’s set to benefit from it. Research shows that when new transport links come in, house prices only rise once the trains start running so it’s worth taking a punt before the asking prices shoot [...]
UK house prices: Why buyer activity, proximity to Chrismas and the end of school holidays mean today’s the best day to sell your home September 3, 2015 If you're planning on putting your property on the market, get going – because research suggests today, aka 2 September, is the best day of the year to sell your home. According to online estate agent Emoov. now schools have gone back, prospective buyers' minds are turning to the great property search. The research found [...]