UK Property News

"There's no place like home" for one couple who moved to Barratt's popular Brecon View Park development in the semi-rural town of Merthyr Tydfil. An unexpected new arrival means they will have to move to a larger house, but they intend to find another property on the same site.

Having joined the Durban 2010 Clipper Round the World in Jamaica, Charlotte Neal, an Associate in Savills Residential Valuation and Litigation Support department, has recently sailed some stormy waters up to Sydney, Nova Scotia, and will soon be setting a course for home. To date, the rough sea conditions have already seen a man overboard, 2 boats dismasted and numerous other injuries!

Savills have successfully secured planning permission for a student accommodation led mixed use scheme at 301 – 315 Holloway Road, London N7. Following two years of negotiations with officers at the London Borough of Islington permission was granted at committee for a scheme comprising flexible commercial floor space at ground floor level and 146 units (316 bed-spaces) of student accommodation above plus associated disabled parking; cycle parking and hard & soft landscaping.

With the credit crunch at our doorstep and the property market dragging its feet behind us it is now thought that it is more economical to rent rather than buy. Financial experts are now giving the controversial advice that renting is not only a wiser choice than buying but that it could be one way to beat the crunch and pay off your debts.

Landlords are running the risk of incurring unnecessary fines, with over half admitting that they are unaware of new energy efficiency requirements for rental property from October.

A specialist International Forum ‘Staying Profitable in a Challenging Market' will be taking place on 9th October 2008.

Anyone buying a new home will find the property market has a silver lining with George Wimpey South Midlands. Buyers securing their property before the end of August 2008 can benefit from the leading housebuilder's Silver Linings scheme which promises money back if the market affects the value of their home.*

Following the release of the Halifax house price index today, Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), the residential sales arm of the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFOPP), said: "The Halifax house price index shows that the situation for first time buyers is serious.

Moving home is the ideal time to sort out your belongings, get rid of junk and de-clutter your home. And homebuilder George Wimpey has launched a special "De-clutter your life" campaign to help buyers.

Charles Church recently took part in a presentation held by the Brinc Initiative to inform NHS staff of the fantastic deals available to them at selected Charles Church developments. The presentations, which took place at the Clatterbridge Hospital in Merseyside and the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, outlined the incentives that are available for NHS staff that purchase a Charles Church home.

Housebuilder of the Year, Miller Homes, is to give buyers struggling to climb the property ladder a welcome step up - with the launch of a new scheme offering customers the chance to pay "75% now, 25% later" on many new homes in its portfolio including the ten new development here in the North West. Under the scheme- branded MiWay by the developers, buyers will still own 100% of their property. It is not a traditional shared-ownership scheme; instead it offers two major advantages to would-be homemovers worried about the credit squeeze.

Money website Fool.co.uk is calling for stronger regulation of sell and rent back property schemes after discovering 20% of homeowners are worried they will not be able to pay their mortgages over the next year. A further 50% would consider one of these schemes should they face repossession.

The National Landlords Association (NLA) and the National Federation of Residential Landlords (NFRL), who together represent nearly 20,000 landlords, have announced they are to merge creating the largest representative body for landlords in the United Kingdom.

It's not often you get the chance to sample a new home before reserving - but with the Try Before You Buy scheme from David Wilson Retirement Homes, interested clients can do just that.

Combining a busy working life with hunting for a new home can mean missing out on the best deals - but George Wimpey East Midlands has the answer. On Thursday 10th July the leading housebuilder is opening its developments across the region until 7pm to help working people find a home and talk about the money-saving incentives which could apply to their circumstances.

It may have been the decade that taste forgot - but many Brits still yearn for 1980s technology around the home, from kitchen innovations like Soda Streams to living room shelves bulging with vinyl and video collections, according to new research from Halifax Home Insurance.

Faced with a sluggish market in which it is taking increasingly longer for properties to sell, home vendors need all the help they can get. Research from property website, Rightmove, shows that the average home now takes 85 days to find a buyer, compared to just 71 a year ago. With the competition for buyers tougher than ever, vendors need to make sure their property stands out.

“The housing market has rarely been out of the headlines recently and, increasingly, house-hunters are feeling the squeeze,” says Bellway East Midlands’ Ben Smith.

Wise consumers are used to adopting a ‘try before you buy’ policy for cars to clothes to jewellery. However, this has never been an available option on a new home – well, not until now. Strathclyde Homes is introducing this unique scheme at its developments at Clyde Riverfront, Yoker; The Link, Clydebank; Love Leith, Edinburgh and Scholars Gate, Bathgate.

Farmland values on average have risen by 29% during the past six months across Great Britain and are forecast to increase further this year particularly for the best quality land in the most desirable locations, according to Savills research.

A recent survey undertaken by Bovis Homes indicated that 59% of potential first time buyers had not even checked to see if buying their first property was a viable option. Of those who had not made any enquiries, 97% said that if they thought it was a possibility they would jump at the chance of getting on the property ladder.

Summer is a time to enjoy the outdoors, sip a few cocktails under the sun, and finally get that healthy glow, and what a better way to do these things than by having a garden party! New homes builder Bellway East Midlands knows how important it is for people to enjoy their homes and share them with friends and family.

Following the release of the Nationwide house price index, Chris Brown, President of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), the residential sales arm of the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFOPP), said:

Paragon announces the launch of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) service to help its landlord customers ensure they are ready for new energy efficiency legislation.

The UK's system of residential Stamp Duty is no longer fit for purpose, say the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).