General news

Many renters would take years to save

The rental market could prove to be a fruitful one for buy-to-let owners for years to come, after it was revealed that many people still struggle to afford a mortgage, needing years to raise the required cash. According to a survey conducted by Scottish Widows, people in the rental market are 50 per cent more likely than other residents to have no savings at all, with 35 ...

2nd Apr 2013

Property price rise shows increase in return for investors

Those who saw the opportunity to put money into property investment when the market was at its lowest ebb are continuing to see an increase in prices as a decent return looms on the horizon. According to the latest statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) it has been revealed that the price of homes in January of 2013 was 2.2 per cent higher than at ...

20th Mar 2013

Property sales numbers on the up, says Rics

The number of homes being sold in the UK is on the increase, as the UK market in properties for sale continues to be bolstered by the government's flagship Funding for Lending Scheme launched last August. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said that the number of houses being purchased throughout the month of February had hit a two-year high, buoyed by ...

12th Mar 2013

UK mortgage approvals fall in February

The number of mortgages approved throughout February saw a fall to its lowest level in seven months, as the property market surprisingly stalled after a good couple of months around the new year. According to the latest data supplied by e.surv, the number of purchase loans forwarded for properties for sale throughout February dropped by a full 11 per cent when compared to ...

11th Mar 2013

Lords' action on agents backed by property market

New rules set to be introduced into the UK property market by the House of Lords have been backed by professionals after they were aired for the first time this week. The parliamentary body said that the new alterations in the law will see lettings and estate agents regulated far more than they have been in the past to give power to redress poor practice to consumers. It ...

8th Mar 2013

Housing market is continuing to improve in 2013

The housing market is continuing to build on the strong start it showed in the early weeks of the year, according to a newly released report from Halifax. The building society said that signs of improvement repeatedly crop up, as its latest data showed that the cost of buying a home in February had grown by 0.5 per cent compared to a month before. It also meant that the ...

7th Mar 2013

Scottish govt pledges cash for homes

The Scottish government has made a pledge to provide a greater number of properties to rent in the country, easing the burden on social and council housing. Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon said that Holyrood was committing £40 million to the scheme designed to provide homes for families who need them most. She added that the aim was to build 1,000 houses across ...

6th Mar 2013

Govt must do more to support sustainable homes

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has called on the government to make sure it is doing enough to support the growth in green build homes across the country as a way of helping homeowners bring down their bills. The organisation made its plea ahead of chancellor George Osborne announcing his budget for the coming year on March 20th, with chief executive Brian Berry ...

1st Mar 2013

London property showing strong global performance

The market in properties for sale in London is showing a strength that puts it as one of the top destinations for residential investments across the entire globe, a new report has shown. That it is the top settlement for purchasing homes in the UK will be no surprise to anyone, with the capital having strongly outperformed every other town and city in the country in the ...

26th Feb 2013

Cold weather sees mortgages fall for first time in 6 months

The onset of cold weather throughout January has seen the number of mortgage approvals drop below the total it sat at a year ago as the figure experienced its first fall in six months. Previous reports had shown that the market for properties for sale was growing once more at the start of 2013, with increasing confidence and a rise in asking prices pushing the sector ...