tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94109872023-11-10T01:14:57.836+00:00Latest news and reports on the UK property market, including information on: property prices, buy-to-let, property development, property investment, mortgages and insuranceDavid Sharpehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1138567204455507212006-01-29T20:38:00.000+00:002006-01-29T20:40:05.366+00:00

UK buy-to-let investors are being tempted by offers of guaranteed rents on property deals around the world, but how good are these deals in real terms and will there be any rental demand once the guaranteed period ends?Worldwide opportunitiesInvestors are looking beyond the overcrowded UK market for untapped property hotspots in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and out to the Far East.Deciding on

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1135854151556956862005-12-29T11:01:00.000+00:002005-12-29T11:02:32.116+00:00

House prices in England and Wales rose for the first time since the summer of 2004 in December, according to property website Hometrack.The survey, which monitors property asking prices, suggested the average cost of a home rose by 0.1% to £160,900 during the month.But in nearly 85% of postcode districts looked at, prices remained unchanged between November and December.Overall, prices have

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1135421038429934752005-12-24T10:42:00.000+00:002005-12-24T10:43:59.966+00:00

Halifax, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, has predicted that the housing market will be flat in 2006.House prices are set to rise by 3% during the year, barely enough to keep pace with inflation, the bank said.A crash would be avoided due to high levels of employment, wages rises and interest rate cuts, the group added.But at the same time,- well known market sceptics - Capital Economics warned

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1135420929779651802005-12-24T10:40:00.000+00:002005-12-24T10:42:10.213+00:00

Mortgage lending has continued to show an unseasonal pickup as the year draws to a close.The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said gross lending rose by 5% in November to £28.5bn.The CML said this was the second highest figure on record and was 30% higher than a year ago.Separately, the British Bankers' Association (BBA) said net mortgage lending, which strips out redeemed mortgages, rose by £

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1134375585289665592005-12-12T08:18:00.000+00:002005-12-12T08:19:45.413+00:00

House prices in the UK are set to rise in 2006, although any gains will be small, according to Nationwide.Britain's biggest building society said at best prices would grow by 3% over next year, following gains of 2.4% this year and 12.7% in 2004.But Nationwide warned prices may also stagnate, while many new buyers would continue to struggle to afford homes.The Bank of England last month said it

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1134375443981149992005-12-12T08:17:00.000+00:002005-12-12T08:17:24.370+00:00

With house prices rising faster than rental incomes, it is becoming more difficult to make a successful living from buy-to-let. We look at ways for landlords to maximise their profits and avoid financial difficulty.RemortgageBuy-to-let mortgage rates used to be charged at a premium compared to their residential equivalents. However, increased competition in the sector and other factors has led to

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1133823649837172332005-12-05T22:58:00.000+00:002005-12-05T23:00:52.040+00:00

Gordon Brown has unveiled plans to boost the supply of affordable homes and the amenities that go with them.New planning guidelines will encourage local authorities to accelerate planning consent and bring forward development of brown field sites.The chancellor launched a consultation on a new "planning gain supplement", a windfall tax on the profits made from selling land for property

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1133608978444519092005-12-03T11:21:00.000+00:002005-12-03T11:22:58.610+00:00

House price inflation in the UK is rising, according to the latest survey from the Halifax.The country's biggest mortgage lender says prices in November were 4.5% higher than a year previously, thanks to a rise of 1.2% last month alone.The annual rate of inflation has now gone up for the fourth month in a row, and leaves the average house in the UK now costing £170,086.However, the Halifax said

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1133608868462925692005-12-03T11:19:00.000+00:002005-12-03T11:21:08.803+00:00

The government may be planning to introduce a new tax on the profits made by landowners selling sites for property development.Aiming to raise £500m a year, Chancellor Gordon Brown is expected to launch a consultation into the proposal during Monday's Pre-Budget Report.The Treasury has refused to comment, but it is thought the tax will be set at 20% of profit from each site sold.Property firms

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1133439715663127282005-12-01T12:20:00.000+00:002005-12-01T12:21:56.340+00:00

UK house prices remained unchanged in November, according to the Nationwide, bringing annual inflation down to 2.4% from 3.3% in October.The lack of growth followed a rebound in prices last month, and Nationwide said the overall picture was one of "stability rather than acceleration".Prices for the three months to November were up just 0.6% on the previous quarter, the building society said.The

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1133439608037739262005-12-01T12:19:00.000+00:002005-12-01T12:20:08.690+00:00

Homebuyers have been warned by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) not to lie about their income when applying for a self-certification mortgage.If they do, it said, they risk landing themselves with a criminal record.Consumers could be committing fraud as well as being left with a loan they cannot afford if they overstate their salary, the FSA warned.A problem with self-certification

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1133247419658583152005-11-29T06:55:00.000+00:002005-11-29T06:57:00.103+00:00

LONDON (Reuters) - House prices in England and Wales were flat on the month in November, leaving property prices down 2.5 percent on the year, a survey showed on Monday.It was the first time in 16 months that research company Hometrack said its measure of average house prices -- which is based on agreed sales not asking prices -- did not show a monthly fall.Average prices held at 160,700 pounds,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132922765775713322005-11-25T12:45:00.000+00:002005-11-25T12:46:05.883+00:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Loan approvals for home purchases rose 23 percent on a year ago in October, data from the British Bankers' Association showed on Friday, in further evidence that housing market activity is gradually picking up.Mortgage approvals -- the number of loans agreed but not yet made -- rose to 72,328 from 70,105 in September.The figure, often viewed as a leading indicator of house

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132922550712447152005-11-25T12:41:00.000+00:002005-11-25T12:42:30.946+00:00

Hong Kong's first property investment fund, which was nearly scuppered by a legal action from a pensioner, has gained on its first day of trading.Shares in the Link REIT, or Real Estate Investment Trust, rose as much as 15% to 11.80 Hong Kong dollars ($1.5).The fund will buy real estate such as car parks from the government and pay investors a fixed return from rents.However, the scheme was

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132409575035951412005-11-19T14:10:00.000+00:002005-11-19T14:12:56.676+00:00

The average house price in Scotland has risen by 2% to £117,626, according to the latest official figures.Data from the Registers of Scotland showed that Lothian region again had the highest average price at £153,669.The Highlands and Islands had the highest year-on-year increase with the average at £110,833 and Glasgow area continued to be the biggest market.Meanwhile, Lloyds TSB Scotland said

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132409394289738332005-11-19T14:08:00.000+00:002005-11-19T14:09:54.380+00:00

The use of Home Information Packs by home sellers in England and Wales will be compulsory from 1 June 2007.The government has finally decided on the launch date after the packs were made law by the Housing Act a year ago.Buyers will be provided with a survey, land registry details and answers from both the sellers and local authority to standard questions.The government says the packs will cost

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132409252592450392005-11-19T14:05:00.000+00:002005-11-19T14:07:33.050+00:00

House price growth will continue to be flat over the coming year, according to mortgage lender Nationwide.The head of Britain's biggest building society, Philip Williamson, said he expected little growth in prices "to continue for the next 12 months".The prediction came as Nationwide reported a rise in pre-tax profits to £255m ($440m) for the six months to 30 September, from £224m last

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132059463741799252005-11-15T12:56:00.000+00:002005-11-15T12:57:43.930+00:00

There is no evidence that mortgage brokers are systematically still letting self-employed borrowers inflate their earnings, a report has found.Market watchdog the Financial Services Authority (FSA) carried out a review of 39 small mortgage brokers and a "mystery" shopping exercise at 41 more.Only three firms advised how clients could lie to obtain bigger home loans.A problem with "

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1132059345563082312005-11-15T12:54:00.000+00:002005-11-15T12:55:45.920+00:00

The housing market showed more signs of strengthening in October, with the fastest growth in inquiries by would-be buyers for two years, a report says.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said house sales were up and the number of people looking to buy had risen for the fourth month in a row.It added that while house prices had continued to fall, the rate of decline was at its slowest in

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1131881976315431382005-11-13T11:38:00.000+00:002005-11-13T11:39:36.653+00:00

By Ross FinleyLONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England held interest rates at 4.5 percent on Thursday but analysts are locked in a heated debate over when and what the central bank's next move will be.All 44 analysts polled by Reuters last week had predicted the Monetary Policy Committee would keep the repo rate unchanged this month -- a dramatic turnaround from a month ago when many had been

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16002013166409004430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1131881913251654252005-11-13T11:37:00.000+00:002005-11-13T11:38:33.280+00:00

LONDON (Reuters) - House price inflation in England and Wales weakened to its slowest rate in nine years in the third quarter, official data showed on Tuesday, further evidence that the housing market has slowed from boom times.The Land Registry said house prices rose just 3.52 percent in July-September on the same period a year ago. That was the slowest rate since 1996 and compared to a 5.43

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1131441289193216942005-11-08T09:13:00.000+00:002005-11-08T09:14:49.986+00:00

House prices have risen over the past year despite a dip in the number of sales, Land Registry figures show.Prices were 3.5% higher for the three months to September than at the same time last year - standing at an average of £194,589.This compares with an annual increase of 16.3% seen in September 2004.Meanwhile, the number of houses sold in England and Wales for the three months to September

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1131109632252662592005-11-04T13:06:00.000+00:002005-11-04T13:07:12.253+00:00

LONDON (Reuters) - House prices were unchanged in October but the annual rate of inflation picked up to a five-month high, the nation's largest mortgage lender reported on Friday.HBOS Plc said in its Halifax house price survey that prices were flat after a 1.1 percent monthly rise in September.The three-month annual rate of increase rose to its highest since May at 3.9 percent from 3.0 percent

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1131109573518741602005-11-04T13:05:00.000+00:002005-11-04T13:06:13.540+00:00

House price inflation rose in October, for the third month in a row, according to the latest survey from the Halifax.Actual prices were unchanged between September and October, with the average house now costing £168,210.But compared with a year ago prices have now risen by 3.9%, up from September's rate of 3%.The Halifax's survey is in line with this week's report from the Nationwide, which also

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9410987.post-1130933909288082632005-11-02T12:18:00.000+00:002005-11-02T12:18:29.526+00:00

By Fiona ShaikhLONDON (Reuters) - House prices rose in October at their fastest pace in 15 months, the Nationwide Building Society said on Tuesday, in another sign the property market is stabilising after a sharp slowdown in the last year.The mortgage lender said prices rose 1.3 percent last month, bringing the annual rate of gain up for the first time this year to 3.3 percent from a 9-year low

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0