News - Archive for October 2013

Investors Should Stick Near State Schools

Investors in the residential property market should explore areas around the top state schools, if new research is anything to go by. According to Lloyds Bank, people will in fact pay a premium of GBP 31,500 to live close to a good educational institution...

The London property market is expanding at an alarming rate and could be entering 'bubble territory' according to a new report. Home.co.uk explained the average price of a home in the capital is GBP 400,096 - a number that is set to rise even further...

With the majority of new buyers continuing to struggle with house prices, the rental market in London and the south-east should remain strong in the future, with house prices in the capital and surrounding area rising more quickly than inflation...

UK House Building Picks Up in Q3

Home building in the UK is certainly rebounding from the financial crisis, with more chartered surveyors noting growth in Q3. According to the latest construction market survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors...

Property investment opportunities for landlords in the UK remain plentiful and as average rents continue their upwards path, the sector will only become more attractive...

Perceptions of Growth at Record High

Perceptions of house price growth are now at their highest level on record, according to Knight Frank. Households in every region now expect the price of their property to rise over the next 12 months...

There are now nearly a dozen buyers for each new property that comes onto the London real estate market, showing more and more people are eager to get onto the housing ladder...

Is the Recovery Still Locked in London?

The UK property market is undoubtedly in a state of recovery but average growth statistics can often mask troubling regional disparities. Indeed, for several months price rises and increases in activity have been largely centred around London, with the rest of country often posting losses.

Rising property prices in the south-east are likely to drive first-time buyers out of the area, according to research from Cluttons. Over the next five years it is expected people will look elsewhere for cheap property, giving regional markets a boost.

Record High for UK House Prices

House prices in the UK have now hit a record high, according to figures from the Office for National statistics. In August, the House Price Index surpassed its previous January 2008 peak by 0.3 per cent...

The UK student accommodation market is proving to be one of the most stable and lucrative in the world, filled with sound property investment opportunities and high demand...

The second phase of the government's Help to Buy scheme has now been rolled out, but it may be the first part of the initiative that becomes known as the runaway success...

The tenants charter proposed by the government to improve the rental market could be counterproductive, according to one industry expert. Landlord Assist explained to Property Wire that the reforms could cause the market to destabilise by working against landlords and forcing rents upwards...

US Property Market Facing Monster Mash

The US property market is facing a "monster mash", which could put its ongoing recovery under threat and deter real estate investment. RealtyTrac, the housing data provider, claims there are two beasts looming over the sector and until they're thwarted, recovery will run the risk of collapse.

House sales in the UK were at a near four-year high in the three months to September, according to the latest Residential Market Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)...

Is UK House Price Growth Slowing?

UK house prices have found themselves on an upwards trajectory over recent months but growth could be slowing. The Halifax House Price Index for the three months to September showed that throughout the quarter values rose by two per cent - below the increases noted in June, July and August, albeit slightly.

The government is to introduce a series of measures that will encourage more family-friendly tenancies in the private rented sector. Communities secretary Eric Pickles announced the changes on October 2nd and, when in effect, the reforms will see an increase in longer, fixed-term contracts, while raising industry standards...

Landlords are generally well-versed in the ins and outs of property investment, so you'd expect them to know the importance of dotting the Is and crossing the Ts. However, it seems that when it comes to decorating, those in the private rented sector...

Mortgage lending in the UK is increasing but it is still falling below the historic average. According to the Building Societies Association (BSA), there are sustained signs of recovery within the market...

Over-50s are increasingly planning on using their property to fund their pension, new research has revealed. Many plan on using equity release, while others will downsize or turn to renting in a bid to boost their retirement income - creating new opportunities for landlords...

In what would seem to be a move to deflect the negative criticisms of the Help to Buy policy (or possibly a bout of madness), Chancellor George Osborne has taken the move to hand over control of the policy itself to the Bank of England – shrewd move one might think on the face of it, until you look at the Bank of England track record...