Zoopla property news (January 2012)
Latest property news
Student accommodation sector 'will be strong in 2012'
There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that it may be beneficial for people to invest in student accommodation this year, it has been claimed. Peter Mindenhall, researcher at IPINGlobal.com, said that investment volumes over the past year or so would dictate that the sector is "very strong indeed", despite the introduction of student fees. As a result, there ...
17th Jan 2012
Home affordability 'the best since 1997'
Home affordability is currently at its best level since 1997, according to the latest report from Halifax. Mortgage payments for a new borrower in the second half of 2011 were at their lowest as a proportion of disposable earnings for 14 years, reveals the Halifax Affordability Review, which tracks housing affordability for all homebuyers in 386 local authority districts ...
16th Jan 2012
Property news archive
Property owners 'should not delay' home improvements
People who have identified home improvements that need to be made in their property should not delay making them if they want to avoid more severe problems down the line, one specialist has advised. Anna-Marie DeSouza, editor at Build It, said in the current financial climate it is easy to see why people put off home improvement tasks until things are more stable, but they ...
16th Jan 2012
Building your own house 'needs plenty of consideration'
People considering building their own home have been advised to bear many things in mind before embarking on the project. Raymond Connor, chief executive at BuildStore, said that building your own home can be an exciting prospect, but is also very daunting, especially if people have no experience in building, construction or even DIY. He explained that each project will ...
16th Jan 2012
Tenant demand 'will grow in 2012'
Demand for UK rental property from tenants is set to grow in the coming months, according to one industry body. Research carried out by the buy to let lender, Paragon Group, revealed that landlords are expecting tenant demand to continue to be as strong as ever in 2012. Some 56 per cent of the landlords who took part in the quarterly survey said that they expect tenant ...
13th Jan 2012
Trusty letting agents 'far outweigh' disreputable ones
The overwhelming majority of UK letting agents are trustworthy, and potential renters should not be put off by the very small proportion of stories about disputes regarding tenancy agreements, one expert has advised. Malcolm Harrison, spokesman for the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, said there is still the worry for some tenants that if they hand over a deposit, they are unsure ...
12th Jan 2012
Number of FTBs rises in 2011
The number of first-time buyers (FTBs) in the UK rose in 2011, largely driven by a growth in loan-to-value (LTV) lending, it has been claimed. Those are the findings of a new survey carried out by e.surv, which revealed that there were 32 per cent more loans with a deposit of 15 per cent or under in 2011 than in 2010, as lending conditions for FTBs improved. Overall, there ...
12th Jan 2012
London property 'set for strong price growth'
There is likely to be a great deal of growth in the London property market in the months ahead, though the real gains will be seen over a period of years, according to one expert on the subject. Naomi Heaton, chief executive at London Central Portfolio, said that investing in London central residential property should be a "long-term strategy". "It is about ...
11th Jan 2012
FTBs 'are receiving help'
Measures are being taken to help get the country's first-time buyers (FTBs) onto the housing ladder, one sector body has claimed. That is the opinion of Paul Broadhead, head of mortgage policy at the Building Societies Association, who noted that is likely to be an easing in mortgage criteria in the year ahead to help stimulate the property market. He pointed out that ...
11th Jan 2012
Olympic Games 'will impact London property'
This year's Olympic Games will definitely have an impact on house prices , but the extent of the effect on property in London could vary, one expert has predicted. Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills, said it is "quite easy" to overstate the price, though this may be confined to some "quite tight geographical areas". ...
10th Jan 2012