Property Market
Buyers look to drive down asking prices
Confidence that house prices will continue to rise has reached a 20-month high. However, more buyers are seeking out properties they can add value to and are looking to haggle on price, according to the latest research from Yorkshire Bank.
Foxtons joins Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme
Work by the new Ombudsman for Estate Agents, Christopher Hamer, to enrol non-member agencies into the scheme has had a high profile success after just two months with the news that leading London agency Foxtons has signed up.
Buy-to-let ‘not to blame’ for house prices
The belief that buy to let investors are pricing first time buyers out of the housing market was dismissed by a leading expert in property economics at the Annual Conference of the Association of Residential Letting Agents, ARLA, held in London, February 7th.
Investor and occupier demand shrugs off higher rates
Investor and occupier demand has continued undeterred despite interest rate rises, says RICS Commercial Property Survey.
UK house-building hits highest levels since 1980s
Fashion isn't the only trend seeing an eighties revival, house-building is enjoying a popular resurgence too. According to NHBC, whose warranty covers more than 80% of new homes in the UK, 185,000 new homes were built during 2006, a figure reminiscent of the housing boom of the late 1980s.
A tale of two markets for residential development land
2006 was a year of mixed fortunes for residential development land; greenfield land values increased by 6.1% but a -0.4% decline was recorded for urban land values, according to the latest research from Savills.
UK roofing industry responds to climate change
As the UK recovers from January storms that saw the worst gales in seventeen years, one of the country’s leading roof tile manufacturers, Sandtoft Roof Tiles has highlighted the significant impact that Britain’s changing climate will have on the roofing industry. According to Simon Oldridge, managing director at Sandtoft, the rising unpredictability of weather in the UK will place added focus on the fixing of roof tiles and slates.
UK house prices rise in January
House prices increased by 1.3% in January, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index. The mixed pattern of monthly price rises and falls in December and January is consistent with a slowing market.
Countryside in danger of becoming a playground for the rich
Unless the Government acts to encourage more rural housing it is in danger of making the countryside a place for the well off at the expense of local people who can no longer afford to get on the property ladder, says Brian Berry, head of public policy at the RICS.
First time buyers need ‘debut’ more than ever
With first time buyers in the UK now facing average house prices of £150,000, Redrow’s award winning Debut range has an even bigger role to play in helping would-be home owners onto the first rung of the ladder.
It’s not always simply a case of location, location, location!
Location is usually the most important factor for companies looking to source new office space but for some businesses, there are other more important – and sometimes rather bizarre – criteria to consider when seeking a new home for their business.
First-time buyers willing to give up holidays and booze
First-time buyers would give up holidays, booze or move back with their parents, if it meant getting on the property ladder sooner, according to research from Abbey.
Help for first-time buyers
Leading housebuilder Barratt has been awarded funding to provide more than 300 new homes around the country exclusively to first-time buyers.
Persimmon Homes is buoyant in East Scotland
Persimmon Homes East Scotland is preparing to bolster its new homes offering across the region with the launch of seven prime residential developments during 2007.
Four shows in one – The hot property event for 2007
Bring your ideas, your plans, your dreams. Whether you yearn for a barn conversion, a high tech listed farmhouse, a cutting edge contemporary home or a glass basement extension, The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC from 22 to 25 March is a ‘must visit’ event.