Property Market

Buy-to-let to surge by 2016 as Brits crave flexible living

Positive attitudes towards renting and a desire to be ‘footloose and fancy free’ have sparked a surge in the buy-to-let market – which is predicted to grow by over 40 per cent (41%) by 2016, according to a report by Alliance & Leicester Mortgages.

Empty nesters consider climbing down the property ladder to fund retirement

Future empty nesters are considering climbing down the property ladder to improve their quality of later life, but are concerned rising house prices could mean their children do not move out until they are well into their thirties.

House prices rise 0.9% in January

Land Registry data shows that 2007 has begun with another rise in house prices for England and Wales. The first month of the year demonstrates an annual house price increase of 7.7 per cent and a monthly increase of 0.9 per cent. This increase has led to the average property now being worth £174,827.

Property investors shrug off interest rate worries

In and around London, average rent achieved by buy-to-let landlords on their new property investments has continued to rise more rapidly than the prices they pay for these properties, according to the February edition of Paragon Mortgages’ Buy-to-Let Index.

Parents role changes as first-time buyers choose to go it alone

First-time buyers looking to get on the property ladder are less likely than before to turn to their parents for help according to the latest findings from the Abbey First Time Buyer index.

House prices rose by 0.7% in February

House prices rose by a steady 0.7% in February, pushing the annual rate of house price growth back into double digits to 10.2%, according to the Nationwide Building Society.

Strong marketplace for UK residential lettings

Lettings members of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) reported a strong marketplace for UK residential lettings over the last quarter of 2006. A number of issues contributed to a thriving buy to let sector, including affordability, a significant increase in immigration, specifically from Eastern Europe, and an ever-strong interest in bricks and mortar as an investment.

Bad taste Brits losing millions

Sellers are seeing red as a combined £1billion is knocked off the nation’s house prices every year by the wrong interior colour schemes.

More houses above inheritance tax threshold

The number of postcode districts where the average house price is above the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold has more than doubled in the past five years, according to the Halifax.

George Wimpey joins the Exchange Bond revolution

The Exchange Bond, the innovative financial product that frees property buyers from raising a cash deposit, is now being offered to purchasers on selected new homes built by George Wimpey across its 26 regions.

CML responds to HIPs consultation

In its response to the government's latest consultation on home information packs (HIPs), the Council of Mortgage Lenders calls for the implementation of HIPs to be postponed until full evidence from research and area trials is available, on which an informed decision about the likely effectiveness of HIPs can be based.

Driveway conversions London homes on dodgy ground

Over 100,000 London homeowners - and many more in the South East of England - could face an increased risk of subsidence because they, or their neighbours, have succumbed to the urban trend for turning front gardens into off-road parking spaces, according to new research by esure home insurance out today.