In charts: UK house price growth slows but first-time buyers still feel the pinch December 16, 2014 First-time buyers are paying 12 per cent more this year than at the same point last year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS revealed house prices were flirting with stagnation in October, when they increased just 0.1 per cent on a month-on-month basis. After yesterday’s data from Rightmove showed [...]
UK house prices: Home ownership is a distant dream even for middle England December 20, 2015 Almost half of people who don't own their own home believe they never will as the time needed to save for a deposit hits an astonishing 24 years. Even a quarter of the richest of non-home owners think they will never get a foot on the first rung of the property ladder, new research reveals. "Low to middle [...]
Mortgage lending hits post-recession high of £220bn in 2015 January 21, 2016 Mortgage lending rose by eight per cent last year compared with the year before, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said this morning. Lenders approved £19.9bn of home loans in December, taking the 2015 total to £220.3bn – the highest annual figure since 2008. December's lending figure was slightly down on November, but was 23 per [...]
The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme is boosting high loan-to-value lending December 17, 2015 The government's Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, which offers greater protection for lenders, is boosting high loan-to-value (LTV) lending, according to new figures released today. The number of mortgage deals offering loans equal to 95 per cent of the value of a property climbed to 260 in November, the data from mortgage insurer Genworth [...]
Say what? It turns out the London doesn’t have the world’s most unaffordable homes – Hong Kong does January 26, 2016 First-time buyers across the London may be struggling to get their hands on a property – but it turns out we don't have the world's most unaffordable homes. That dubious accolade belongs to Hong Kong, where the average home is 19 times people's annual incomes – compared to just 8.5 times in London. Pah. The figures were [...]
Apple’s big event is happening on 7 September for expected iPhone 7 launch August 29, 2016 It's here! Apple has set the date for the much anticipated event where it's expected to launch its latest device – the iPhone 7. An invitation for the event was sent out on Monday afternoon saying "See you on the 7th". The event will be held at 10am pacific time – 6pm in the UK – in [...]
Budget 2016: A tax on house purchase is a tax on house building too – which will not help the UK’s housing crisis March 16, 2016 A tax on house purchase is a tax on house building too and could perversely worsen the housing crisis in the long term. Raising taxes is a tried and tested way to discourage activity that the government thinks is bad for us and right now it seems the target is buy to let. Unfortunately the [...]
Focus On Camberwell: benefiting from its gentrified neighbours? February 5, 2016 With its artistic roots and good transport connections, Camberwell is seen as the good value neighbour of south London’s most gentrified neighbourhoods. “A lot of buyers often start their search with us in central Brixton, but soon find out they could get more moving slightly further out,” says Luke Tubb, sales manager at Foxtons Brixton. [...]
House prices in Chelsea have fallen by 10 per cent this year October 6, 2016 House prices in Chelsea have fallen by 9.8 per cent annually, according to Knight Frank. Overall, prices for high-end homes in central London fell by 2.6 per cent in September, the estate agents said. Read more: House prices under threat in Tower Hamlets due to rapid building and Brexit There were marked regional differences in prices [...]
New homes on sale in London: from riverside homes in Woolwich to an old furniture factory in Hackney October 7, 2016 Royal Arsenal Riverside, Woolwich From £422,500 The first homes with a view of the river are on sale at Berkeley Homes’ new scheme. The 20-storey building also overlook a new four-acre Waterside Park that connects Woolwich Town centre to the river path. In total, there are 266 studio to three bedroom flats on sale at [...]