Coalition must tackle the shortage of new homes
TELEGRAPH 2010

The key point you need to remember during this week's spending announcements is that the population of the UK is set to rise by an incredible 10 million over the next 20 years. That is more than the population of Greater London crash-landing on a land mass half the size of France.... Read More...

Fall in homebuyers adds to fears for market
FT.COM 2010

Estate agents had fewer inquiries from potential homebuyers last month while the supply of homes for sale showed signs of picking up, adding to fears that the housing market could be poised for further price falls... Read More...

Asking prices for homes in England and Wales fell by 1.7 percent in August
REUTERS 2010

Asking prices for homes in England and Wales fell by 1.7 percent in August after an oversupply of property coincided with a seasonal dip in demand, property website Rightmove said on Monday. Prices fell by their biggest margin since a 2.2 percent decline recorded in December, another period when the holiday season depresses prices.. Read More...

House prices in England and Wales rose by an annual 1.8 percent in April, their fastest pace of increase since January 2008, property data company Hometrack said on Monday.
REUTERS 2010

But monthly house price growth slowed to 0.2 percent in April from 0.3 percent in March on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, according to Hometrack's monthly survey of estimates of realistic selling prices from estate agents and surveyors. This monthly rise was driven by a 0.6 percent increase in London, whereas prices in other regions were more typically flat or up by just 0.1 percent. Yorkshire and Humberside in northern England recorded a 0.1 percent price fall. Read More...

Rise in number of high LTV mortgages
THE FT 2010

The number of fixed-rate mortgages with a loan-to-value of more than 90 per cent has almost doubled in the last 12 months, new research has revealed. There are now 147 fixed-rate products available in the market for borrowers with a deposit of 10 per cent or less, according to MoneyExpert.com. This represents an 88 per cent increase on the 78 products available this time last year. Read More...

Lenders cut mortgage rates
THE FT 2010

Banks and building societies have continued to cut mortgage rates on fixed-rate and tracker products this week as competition increases in the lending market. Yorkshire Building Society and Santander have today cut fixed-rates by up to 0.40 per cent and 0.25 per cent, respectively. More lenders are expected to cut rates in the coming days, brokers say. Read More...

UK house price growth slows
THE FT 2010

House prices rose at their slowest pace in six months in January, according to a closely watched index, adding to signs that the rapid pace of recovery in the housing market may be slowing. Prices rose by 0.6 per cent last month – the seventh monthly rise in a row – and are 9.9 per cent above their trough in April of last year, the Halifax survey reported. Read More...

Government considers doubling council tax on second homes
TELEGRAPH 2010

ouncil chiefs are demanding powers to impose steep increases in council tax on properties kept as second homes or holiday lets. Under the plans, bills would rise to double the standard rate, leaving some owners thousands of pounds out of pocket. John Denham, the Communities Secretary, is weighing up the proposal after it was put forward by councils in a formal consultation. Read More...

Private banks lead buy-to-let return
THE FT 2010

Private banks have started to dip their toes back into the buy-to-let lending market this month – but lending continues to remain limited on the high street. Standard Chartered Bank, Investec, JP Morgan and Rothschild are among the boutique banks to have recently signalled an interest in lending to wealthy clients with large buy-to-let portfolios, mortgage brokers say. The return of buy-to-let lending is fuelled primarily by more stable house prices and new 2010 lending targets, according to brokers. Read More...

Mortgage lending sees 'seasonal dip'
BBC 2010

There has been a "seasonal dip" in mortgage lending, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The number of new mortgages granted to home buyers fell to 53,000 in November, a 4% drop from the previous month. However, reflecting the upward trend seen for most of last year, the figures were still 66% higher than in November 2008. Read More...

10 big property mistakes
TELEGRAPH 2010

It should have been an easy sale when Jade Jagger, the jewellery designer, socialite and mother of two, put her London home on the market in autumn 2008. The three-bed end-of-terrace Victorian house in Queen's Park has 2,000 sq ft of space including a vast living room, low-maintenance garden and celebrity fixtures and fittings by Phillipe Starck. At £1.75m, now reduced to £1.5m, it is in the sector of the market that is recovering fastest, too. Read More...

Lenders launch New Year sales on rates
FT 2010

Banks and building societies are offering their own “January sale” discounts on mortgage rates, in an attempt to entice new customers in the new year – but experts are warning that not all these sale deals are competitive. “It’s not just the high street shops that are holding January sales – lenders are also getting in on the act,” said Melanie Bien of Savills Private Finance. Read More...

How to make Your House Greener
TIMES 2010

Never mind black: green is set to be the colour of 2010 — ­especially when it comes to the home. New building regulations came into force in England and Wales on January 1, and, among other things, require builders to cut the CO2 emissions from new homes by 25%. In existing properties, too, residents will be given an incentive to generate their own electricity when feed-in tariffs are introduced in April, paying people for each unit they produce. Read More...

West Midland House Prices: A False Dawn
EXPRESS AND STAR 2010

House prices in the West Midlands will not return to their 2007 levels for at least another five years, experts warned today. Recent improvements in the housing market are a “false dawn” and will not be sustained beyond spring next year, with renewed falls in value predicted in the first half of 2010. Read More...

Property: The decade ahead
TELEGRAPH 2010

As we bid goodbye to the Noughties' cocktail of runaway wealth and economic disparity, so we usher in a new era of uncertainty, anxiety and a market constipated by lack of mortgage availability and – frankly – anything worth buying. Worse, the economic situation seems about as clear as a Louisiana swamp. The future is global, net-driven, debt-laden, yet people will still set up home, have families and nest-make. So is it going to be an entirely uphill struggle? Read More...

Home loans market is ready to expand, but at a higher price
TIMES 2010

Homeowners have been warned that mortgage rates will increase in the next 12 months, adding thousands to the cost of many loans. Borrowers will be affected as banks and building societies come under pressure to pass on the higher costs of funding new loans. Economists warned that the prospect of a hung parliament or Labour victory at the general election would add to jitters about the economy. Read More...

Price of a home rises £90,000 during the Noughties
TELEGRAPH 2009

The latest house price index from Nationwide suggested average values rose from £75,000 at the turn of the Millennium to £162,000 by the end of the decade. And despite the worst recession in Britain since the Second War World, prices rose by a surprising 5.9 per cent - the equivalent of £9,000 - in 2009 after dropping by almost 16 per cent the previous year. Read More...

House prices in England and Wales rise for sixth month
BBC 2009.

House prices in England and Wales rose for the sixth month in a row in November, the Land Registry says.
Prices rose another 0.9% last month, which means that prices were just 0.3% lower than a year ago.
The average home in England and Wales now costs £161,554 - £8,800 higher than at its recent low point in April. Read More...

House prices rise as property shortage persists
BBC 2009.

House prices are still being driven up by a relative shortage of properties for sale, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Its latest monthly survey, for November, suggests that prices have risen for the fourth month in a row. The number of surveyors reporting price rises outstripped those reporting falls, with a positive balance of 35%. Read More...