October 20, 2014
This week, new figures were released suggesting that the UK housing market is booming, with data from the Office of National Statistics showing that house prices increased by 11.7% in the year to August 2014. However, a closer examination of the figures reveals that this increase was largely driven by a significant increase in property […]
October 14, 2014
After news last month that UK house prices were falling – an assessment which was backed up by a later survey by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), which said it expected a 0.8% drop in 2015 – it may come as a surprise to hear that house prices are now expected to […]
October 13, 2014
Last week saw the Bank of England release the results of its new Credit Conditions Survey of banks and building societies. Interestingly, the publication had a number of interesting findings with regards to the mortgage market here in the UK. Mortgage supply squeezed Indeed, according to the BBC, evidence from lenders in the survey showed […]
September 25, 2014
18 September 2014 | By Paul Thomas Gross lending shot up 13 per cent year-on-year in August, according to figures published today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Lenders advanced £18.6bn in August, up from £16.4bn in the same month last year. On a monthly basis, lending was down 5 per cent from the £19.7bn […]
September 8, 2014
3 September 2014 | By Bob Hunt, Chief Executive, Paradigm There appears to be a surfeit of “analysis”, “data” and “research” at the moment all focused on ‘outlooks for the future’. All the press activity is focused on buyer/seller confidence, house price and interest rate anticipation, or giving mortgage availability. The summer can be the […]
August 29, 2014
29 August 2014 | By Devraj Ray House prices continued to rise in August, with average property prices up 11 per cent year-on-year. House prices have now risen for 16 months in a row, although the monthly rate of growth dipped between June and July from 11.8 per cent to 10.6 per cent. The latest […]
August 18, 2014
12 August 2014 | By Devraj Ray Brokers say data revealing continued growth in approvals shows lenders are beginning to overcome the “teething problems” in the immediate aftermath of the Mortgage Market Review. Lenders’ service levels dipped considerably in the weeks after the MMR came into effect on 26 April, with some taking up to […]
July 23, 2014
The amount of money lent to borrowers reached £17.5bn in June, which is 17% higher than same period last year. The figures could tip the UK towards a more conservative lending environment, say economists. The amount of money lent to borrowers to buy properties was at its highest for eight months in June, according to […]
July 13, 2014
9 July 2014 | By Devraj Ray The average UK house price could rocket to £330,000 by 2020, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Office for National Statistics figures show average prices in the UK reached £260,000 in April, up 9.2 per cent from £238,000 in April last year. PwC says the rate of growth in the UK […]
July 10, 2014
20 June 2014 | By Steve Tolley Increasing house prices have seen stamp duty revenue rise by almost £1bn a year. The Times reports research from Lloyds Bank which show 83 per cent of homeowners now have to pay the levy compared with just 17 per cent in 1998. Lloyds has calculated the average homeowner […]
June 8, 2014
By Peter Dominiczak and Anita Singh Mortgage rates are poised to start rising sooner than expected, the outgoing deputy governor of the Bank of England warned yesterday. Charlie Bean said the base rate would soon start increasing in “baby steps” from its current level of 0.5 per cent to reach 3 per cent by 2017. […]
May 28, 2014
Lloyds limits mortgage to four times your salary: Britain’s biggest lender caps loans over £500,000 Britain’s biggest mortgage lender announced a major clampdown on huge home loans yesterday. The move from Lloyds comes amid fears that the market in the South-East is spiralling out of control – with London prices rising up to 21 times […]