Homes more affordable as supply slumps January 15, 2012 HOMES are at their most affordable level for 14 years, according to data released today by Halifax, while figures from Rightmove suggest very low housing supply will prevent the market falling further. First-time buyers spent 27 per cent of their disposable income on their mortgage, down from the 37 per cent average seen over the [...]
RENT February 16, 2012 HEAD OF RENTALS AT AYLESFORD INTERNATIONAL Q. I’ve recently come into the market for a buy-to let property and noticed that there are quite a few new developments nearing completion in 2012 – should I look to purchase a flat in a modern development or consider a converted flat in an older building? A. Whether [...]
House-hunters look to UAE to avoid Eurozone February 20, 2012 BRITISH house-buyers looking to invest abroad are increasingly willing to move outside of Europe, according to research from PrimeLocation.com. Searches on the website for Spanish properties plummeted 15 per cent in the final quarter of 2011, compared with the previous quarter, the website said in figures out today. Italy and France were close behind, with [...]
House prices drop for eighth month running January 17, 2012 HOUSE prices in the UK declined again in November, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) revealed yesterday. The index fell 0.3 per cent on an annual basis in November, slower than the 0.4 per cent decrease seen in October and representing the eighth consecutive monthly fall. Meanwhile the typical sum paid for homes [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS March 6, 2012 Peel Hunt The independent full-service broking and advisory house has announced the appointment of Charles Batten. Batten is a highly regarded name in UK mid and small cap corporate advisory with over 30 years’ experience in M&A, corporate broking and equity capital markets at Lehman, Dresdner Kleinwort and Investec. He said: “Since the buy-out in [...]
Economic confidence improving again March 19, 2012 DON’T say it too loudly – but the economy appears to have gained traction again. An interesting new gauge suggests that confidence and activity are making a strong recovery. Coming a day before George Osborne delivers his Budget, this is decent news for the chancellor, though any rebound in GDP will most likely be modest. [...]
Economic confidence improving again March 19, 2012 DON’T say it too loudly – but the economy appears to have gained traction again. An interesting new gauge suggests that confidence and activity are making a strong recovery. Coming a day before George Osborne delivers his Budget, this is decent news for the chancellor, though any rebound in GDP will most likely be modest. [...]
How to avoid an Olympian hassle February 16, 2012 Q. How much can I expect to earn from letting out my property for the Olympics? A. The exact figure would need to be determined on evaluating the property and assessing both the local area and transport links to Olympic venues, however, due to the inflation of hotel prices (most charging up to three times [...]
FTSE edges up despite retail fears March 23, 2012 The FTSE 100 bounced back in early trading after falls mainly triggered by miners who are fearful of a slowdown of growth in China. However, gains were minimal with the tough climate for UK retailers being laid bare by data from Nationwide today showing that consumer morale is weakening. Blue chip retailer Kingfisher, which owns [...]
FTSE edges up despite retail fears March 23, 2012 The FTSE 100 bounced back in early trading after falls mainly triggered by miners who are fearful of a slowdown of growth in China. However, gains were minimal with the tough climate for UK retailers being laid bare by data from Nationwide today showing that consumer morale is weakening. Blue chip retailer Kingfisher, which owns [...]