Olivia

13 April 2015 | By Paul Thomas UK house price growth is set to outstrip London for the first time in six years, says the Centre for Economic and Business Research. The housing market analyst forecasts a 1.5 per cent rise in house prices across the UK this year, an improvement on the 0.6 per … Read more

30 March 2015 | By Paul Thomas Brokers are bracing themselves for further cuts to mortgage rates as zero inflation keeps a lid on fixed-rate pricing. Early last week, the Office for National Statistics reported that inflation had hit a record low – 0 per cent. Brokers predict a fall in swap rates, which have … Read more

16 March 2015 | By Paul Thomas Asking prices are just £30 below their peak, according to online estate agent Rightmove. This month the average asking price reached £281,752 – £30 off June 2014’s peak. On an annual basis, prices were up 5.4 per cent. Excluding inner London, the average price asked of first-time buyers … Read more

Lower stamp duty bills for new purchasers are causing first time buyer deposits in the UK to go up by 15% a year, according to a recent analysis. The Wimbledon estate agents Robert Holmes, have said that the average deposit was £29,127 in January, which is an increase of 7% in comparison to December 2014, with … Read more

For every up there is a down – and for every start there is a stall, especially where property is concerned. It’s been revealed that the house price growth has lost so much pace that it’s stalled almost entirely. It now stands at its lowest level for 19 months. Industry experts who have studied the … Read more

6 January 2015 | By Devraj Ray More borrowers purchased their first home last year than in any year since 2007, according to Halifax. Some 326,500 first-time buyers purchased a home last year, up 22 per cent from 268,500 in 2013, says the bank. First-time buyers accounted for 46 per cent of all mortgaged house … Read more

2014 has been a pretty eventful year for the housing market, and there has been no shortage of news regarding the property market here in the UK. Indeed from stricter mortgage rules to record breaking house prices and stamp duty reforms, the property market was seemingly never out of the headlines. Interestingly, this trend may … Read more

4 December 2014 | By Devraj Ray Chief Treasury secretary Danny Alexander has recommended the Government commissions the building of new homes on state-owned land in a bid to tackle the housing crisis. The Financial Times reports that Alexander this week gave the example of former RAF base Northstowe as a potential building site for … Read more

In recent weeks, a number of reports have surfaced suggesting that the tougher mortgage rules introduced earlier this year may be causing significant problems for older buyers, who are said to be finding it increasingly difficult to secure mortgages. The new mortgage rules, introduced in April of this year, require lenders to adopt a more … Read more

8 October 2014 | By Peter Williams, Executive Director, IMLA The Government’s U-turn on regulating the buy-to-let market as a result of the latest EU mortgage credit directive has disappointed many in the industry, who thought that the sector would be free from further interference. It comes as no surprise to learn that buy-to-let regulation … Read more