News - Archive for May 2013

Strong Premiums for South-West Waterfront Properties

Waterfront properties in the south-west are commanding strong premiums, according to the latest research. Knight Frank's annual Prime Waterfront Index revealed that a waterfront setting in the south-west can create an uplift of as much as 66 per cent...

The so-called credit-crunch was onomatopoeic in the case of Ireland; it chewed up the economy and property market and spit them out. But it has to be said that the Irish government dealt with the crash decisively and efficiently, perhaps more so than most...

The first recipients of the government's £1bn build-to-rent funding have been revealed. The government has announced 45 companies who will benefit from the scheme's lending at 2.07% over 5 years...

Buy-to-let is becoming one of the most popular forms of property investment but there is still a lack of support for those in the sector...

House Prices Rise In Jersey

House prices in Jersey rose by three per cent in the first quarter of this year, according to new figures. The latest Jersey House Price Index revealed the increase in the sale price of mix-adjusted property prices...

The property market in the US has experience a solid spring, with sales of previously owned houses reaching the highest level for three years. Figures revealed by the National Association of Realtors show that existing-home sales rose by 0.6 per cent in April 2013

According to the latest data the US hotel industry brought in profits of USD 58 million last year, which is just short of the peak seen in 2007. According to the STR Analytics 2013 Host Almanac total revenues in the hotel industry increased by 13.4 per cent to total USD 162 billion including a net operating income of just short of USD 40 billion.

House Prices Rise Year To March 2013

In the year to March 2013 UK property prices rose by 2.7 per cent, showing potential green shoots of a housing market recovery. This compares to a 1.9 per cent increase in prices in the 12 months to February 2013, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Are we coming to the end of the foreclosure problem in the US? That is a deep question with a regionally varied answer, but according to market expert George Yacik in a National Mortgage News column last week, anyone looking to buy a distressed or foreclosed property at a bargain price must move fast and also be prepared to pay much more than a year ago.

Big Brands Bracing the Dubai Recovery

Whether or not Dubai is fully recovered or even fully in recovery is a matter of debate, but one thing that is undeniable is the recovery in the high-end segment, and the recovery of good properties in the best areas. The latest testament to that recovery will certainly be an interesting development to watch.

A new ruling could regenerate the high street and improve the commercial and residential property market in one fell swoop. Following the announcement back in January, Consensus Capital Property (CCP) has now revealed plans to build 1,500 social housing units across England.

House Price Sentiment On The Rise

Households believe that the price of their property rose in May at the fastest rate for nearly three years. According to the Knight Frank/Markit House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI), 13.5 per cent of home-owners think that the value of their home increased during the past month, the highest proportion since June 2010.

For Europe, the past five years have been about survival and nothing more. However, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the dark days are nearly over and investors are finding their interest piqued once again.

Is the US Property Crisis History?

The US property market was unable to escape the wrath of the global financial crisis, but figures now suggest the sector's woes could be over. CoreLogic is just one industry body to publish data showing growth and in March it revealed home prices nationwide...

London is known as a business and tourism hotspot in the UK, and has long enjoyed the buoyant hotel market that comes along with such a title. However, it could soon find itself supplanted by Aberdeen.

It looks like there is a new breed of buy-to-let investor entering the market. Tim King, from London-based estate agency Felicity J. Lord, told the Daily Mail that the sector is no longer populated exclusively by the wealthy looking for high yield investments to boost their portfolio.

Europe has took a bloody beating at the hands of the financial crisis, many doubt it will ever be the same as it was before. Real estate investment in the continent has continually refused to roll over and play dead.

Leading real estate firm Jones Lang La Salle is foretelling a strong year for hotel investment this year. In a recent report the firm predicts total investment somewhere in the region of USD 750 million, which would be a 12% increase compared to 2012.

Despite criticism from industry experts, the government´s Help to Buy scheme is showing results in the UK property market. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors´ (Rics) Residential Market Survey showed the government´s announcement of the programme has had an immediate impact on sentiment.

More areas across the UK have become more affordable for property investment in the past 12 months, according to new research. Figures from the Halifax found that almost two-fifths of towns in the UK are now affordable for home purchase, compared to just four per cent in 2008.

US Commercial Property Prices Rising

U.S. commercial property prices hit record levels last month, a new report has revealed. The latest Green Streets Advisors' commercial property index moved one percent higher than the record achieved in August, 2007, fuelled by low interest rates and "modest economic growth." The index rose one percent in April, after a two percent increase the month before, Bloomberg reports.

Europe is trailing behind other global commercial property investment markets, according to the latest Global Commercial Property Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It has emerged that Europe has seen falls in its commercial activity, whilst analysts have forecasted further declines in values and rents for the rest of the year.

With many people entering the property market unsure of the purchasing process, it is perhaps time to ask whether estate agents have a duty to educate buyers? Research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)...

While the government was praised for its introduction of the Help to Buy scheme, a report has suggested that it may not be what it seems. Former economists at the Bank of England claim it could end up raising the cost of the average home to GBP 300,000 because of the price of inflation.

Property investment often boils down to location, but a new survey has revealed buyers should be looking out for more than just good local schools and facilities when hunting for real estate...

The US hotel market has a few mixed messages for property investors as it progresses further into the second quarter of the year...

Warning! You may want to sit down before reading this story, and put down your coffee, especially if you were adversely affected by the financial crisis in any way (who wasn't?). The latest report on the US housing market...

London's safe-haven status will ensure ultra-prime property purchases in the city continue to rise. Research by Candy & Candy, Savills and Deutsche Bank showed the value of residential property transactions over GBP 10 million in financial hubs like the capital will grow by 27 per cent over the next five years...

Retail real estate investment in Europe jumped 60 percent in Q1 compared to last year, with investors pouring 5.1 billion Euros into the real estate during the quarter, 40% of which was in the UK...

If you have your eye on residential property investment, chances are you won't feel particularly enamored towards bungalows, but according to a new report, this could be a big mistake...