London house prices: The prime London property market has peaked – 2015 prices have hardly risen December 22, 2015 London's prime property market faltered at the end of the year thanks to taxes and stamp duty changes continuing to dampen things. The premium housing market fell 0.8 per cent, on average in the last quarter of the year, compared to a 4.4 per cent rise in other prime markets across the country in places such as Cambridge, [...]
How digital innovation is bringing prosperity to the world’s poorest March 24, 2016 There are approximately 2m adults in the UK who don’t have bank accounts. This statistic is shocking for a global finance hub, but it is dwarfed by the 2bn people worldwide who lack access to financial services. For the unbanked, having no means of saving or managing their finances can mean being locked in a [...]
Autumn Statement 2015 buy-to-let advice for landlords: After the chancellor’s stamp duty hike, what should investors do? November 27, 2015 The chancellor's announcement of a three per cent stamp duty levy on non-primary residences – specifically buy-to-let investments and second homes – caught many by surprise. This change is an incredibly blunt instrument to deal with a complex set of housing market issues. In principle, it will reduce the competition between first-time buyers and investors for many [...]
UK home building nearly half the value of all construction contracts in October November 20, 2015 Housing construction comprised nearly half the value of all UK building contracts in October, totalling £3.7bn, according to the latest Economic & Construct ion Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI. Overall for October, the value of residential projects is the highest since Barbour ABI started tracking the series. This has been helped by a [...]
UK house prices: Property prices increased by as much as the average salary – but in London it’s more than double that January 22, 2016 The property market might be cooling, but last year still gave home-owners a solid boost to their wealth, with new research suggesting UK properties gained in value by as much as the average salary. Throughout 2015, the average homeowner made £27,264 – or £16 for every working hour of the year. Those who own property in London, [...]
How we can mobilise public sector land to build the homes London needs January 26, 2016 In 1941, under tremendous pressure to increase food production, the war cabinet commissioned a National Farm Survey. It sought to identify uncultivated agricultural land, as well as new land to support the dig for victory. It resulted in 36,000 maps and was nicknamed the “Second Domesday Book”. Under pressure to identify land for new homes [...]
UK house prices: Persimmon share price falls despite jump in sales November 4, 2015 Are housebuilders finally feeling the heat? FTSE-listed builder Persimmon reported a 12 per cent sales hike in the third quarter this morning – but shares continued to slide after the sector had a spot of bother with a broker yesterday. The figures Sales were 12 per cent higher in the period since it reported its half year results on [...]
From the pursuit of happiness to the EU referendum: Here’s what got us talking this week February 5, 2016 It was week in which we discovered people leave taxidermy foxes in black cabs. Facebook turned 12 (and oh, how it's changed…). And The One Where Joey Presents Top Gear suddenly became a possibility… The Seven Weird Habits of Highly Successful People (including Bill Gates) 1. Everyone started thinking about happiness First, a study showed [...]
Zoopla: Labour win in General Election would be bad for housing April 15, 2015 Zoopla, the online property portal, says that a Labour victory in next month’s General Election would be bad for the housing market. The firm believes that the party’s policies could have a particularly negative impact on first-time buyers. Zoopla say Labour’s proposal to restrict banks and building societies that accept deposits under the new Help [...]
Taylor Wimpey upbeat as order book swells in Spring selling season April 23, 2015 TAYLOR Wimpey said yesterday that it has enjoyed a strong start to the spring selling season thanks to high levels of customer confidence, driven by improving job prospects and more competition in the mortgage market. The housebuilder, which has 24 regional businesses across the UK, said its total order book has grown by 24 per [...]