House building rises at fastest rate since 2008 November 21, 2013 The last three months have seen the fastest rate of house building since 2008, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). 32,230 homes were started between July and September of this year. Over the past 12 months, housing starts rose 16 per cent compared to the previous year, from 101,280 to 117,110. [...]
Housing market cools for winter but price growth beating wages November 17, 2013 HOUSE prices this month are still up four per cent on November last year, despite a small seasonal dip from October. According to Rightmove’s latest house price index, London prices are up by 6.9 per cent in the same period. In the year to September, average weekly earnings only rose by 0.8 per cent. Between [...]
The Bottle Opener: Why you shouldn’t overlook Rioja October 14, 2014 There are perks to being the Bottle Opener, and this is definitely one of them. I’m relaxing in the late Autumn sun, gazing across a rich vineyard down to the river Ebro. With me are two charming fifth generation descendants of the founder of one of Rioja’s great houses, and we are tasting some magnificent [...]
State urged to support first time buyers December 2, 2012 GIVING support to first time buyers (FTBs) would ease the pressure on the hardest hit sector in the housing market and give a strong boost to the industry, economists from the Ernst and Young Item Club argue today. The respected analysts are calling on George Osborne to reinstate the stamp duty holiday for FTBs on [...]
Barratt and Derwent benefit from recovery May 8, 2014 BARRATT Developments expects to secure reservations on more than a quarter of next year’s private completions by June as the UK’s housing recovery continues apace. Chief executive Mark Clare said yesterday that rising consumer confidence and better mortgage availability meant sales rates had now reached an “optimum level”, with Barratt registering an average of 0.77 [...]
Help to Buy lifts Persimmon new sales past 3,000 November 6, 2013 HOUSEBUILDER Persimmon said yesterday it has sold over 3,000 homes under the government sponsored Help to Buy scheme, in yet another sign of rising confidence in the housing market. Chief executive Jeff Fairburn said that while 90 per cent of sales were to first-time buyers, growing market confidence was prompting more second and third-time buyers [...]
Help to Buy assists 155 per cent boost in Nationwide profits November 15, 2013 British building society Nationwide has reported a whopping underlying profit increase of 155 per cent, for the six months to the end of September. Underlying profit was £332m compared to £130m during the same period in 2012. Nationwide attributed the dramatic growth to increased lending and a burst of new customers switching to the building [...]
Could this be the end of London’s housing boom? June 16, 2014 The property market boom could be seeing the first tentative signs of a slowdown, according to property website Rightmove. Prices across England and Wales rose by only 0.1 per cent in May according to the Rightmove house price index, compared to 3.6 per cent in April and 1.6 per cent in March. Average prices fell in [...]
Help to Buy boosts Barratt sales by 47 per cent November 13, 2013 Barratt Developments has praised the government's Help to Buy scheme for playing a large role in the rising activity in the housing market, reportinga rise in private forward sales of 46.7 per cent, or £1.1bn, for the period of July to November. The company's interim management statement, released on Tuesday, said: The Government's Help to [...]
Housing squeeze worsens for London as demand accelerates October 16, 2013 FRESH figures from estate agency Barnard Marcus, released today, demonstrate the rapid and recent increase in activity currently happening in the London housing market. According to the group, there are now 50 per cent more buyer registrations than there were a year ago, and 12 buyers for every house going on the market in the [...]