News
Developers should focus on sector over location
Property developers should place greater emphasis on the sector they are building in as well as the location, says United Trust Bank.
Shaws help beat the winter blues
Shaws show some cool thinking to help reduce the winter blues
Buy to let mortgages increased by 84,000 in 2011, according to recent data released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
The last quarter of 2011 saw almost 35,000 buy to let mortgages advanced totalling £4 billion, over 15,000 of which were re-mortgage advances.
Repossessions lowest since 2007, says CML
A total of 36,200 homes were repossessed in 2011 - the lowest annual total since 2007, mortgage lenders have said.
Bank of England may cap loan to value levels
Banks and mutual lenders could be barred from offering high loan to value mortgages available to borrowers to prevent another credit crisis, George Osborne said on Monday night (6th February).
Property shortage hindering first time buyers although signs of more returning to the market in 2012
First-time buyers are seeing their dreams of homeownership hindered by a lack of suitable property for sale as well as raising a big enough deposit, Rightmove claims.
Re-think on whether landlords should have to settle tenants' unpaid water bills
The Government has announced a review which could see it pull back from proposed powers that would make residential landlords liable for their tenants’ unpaid water bills.
Landlords to have another bumper year
Landlords and lettings agents will capitalise on favourable market conditions and have a good 2012, said Landlord Assist.
Market positive on Buy to Let lending for 2012
More than half of intermediaries expect to do more buy-to-let mortgage business in 2012 than they did last year, Paragon Mortgages claims.
FTB affordability at 8 year high
Affordability for first-time buyers was at its most favourable level at the end of 2011 since 2003, according to the latest annual Halifax First-Time Buyer Review.
Landlord mortgage arrears set to rise as tenants struggle with rent
Arrears are set to rise in the buy-to-let market, as more landlords face having to deal with tenants who cannot keep up their rent payments.
Three quarters of FTBs locked out of market
Only 23% of potential first-time buyers will be able to purchase in the next 12 months primarily because of a lack of deposit, research by Rightmove has revealed.
Repossessions set to rise in 2012 but remain low
Repossessions are set to rise by around 7% in 2012 before falling back in 2013 according to a regional repossession forecast produced by HML, a leading service provider to the mortgage lending industry.
Halifax: House prices static in 2012
House prices in the UK will experience little change from -2% to 2%, Halifax has predicted in its UK Housing Market Outlook for 2012.
Winter property tips
Winter conditions affect everyone and so we felt it might be useful to outline some simple actions that homeowners and tenants should undertake in order to avoid potential problems.
Report says a third of people struggling to afford rent
One in three private sector renters is struggling to afford their rent every month, new research claims.
Report says tenants face winter rent rises
Over a third of landlords say they will increase rents over the next six months due to the strength of demand, research from BDRC Continental revealed.
Government housing plans will boost Buy To Let
The Government’s housing strategy will boost the buy-to-let sector and should provoke further debate on tenant rights and the need for a landlord register.
Christmas and New Year
The team at Shaws will be taking a short break over the festive period. Details here:
Government scheme: new build indemnity
A new strategy to tackle the housing shortage, boost the economy, create jobs and give people the opportunity to get on the housing ladder has been announced by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mortgage Repossessions Remain Low in the UK
The number of mortgage borrowers in arrears falls steadily, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
More landlords seek to raise funds for more purchases
More than one-third of buy-to-let cases introduced through mortgage brokers in the third quarter of this year were remortgage applications.
Most homeowners ignore remortgage benefits
Most homeowners ignore remortgage benefits Around 58% of homeowners have never changed their mortgage outside of moving house according to research from Barclays.
Movember!
Top lips at Shaws Estate Agents are undergoing a transformation in November as the team take part in the annual Movember charity fundraiser and grow moustaches.
Number of buy to let mortgage products has doubled
The number of buy-to-let products available has more than doubled since 2008 from 237 to 483 reveals research by Defaqto.
Trapped renters now constitute over half of the UK rental sector
Trapped renters now constitute over half of the UK rental sector, according to Rightmove’s Quarterly Consumer Confidence Survey.
Sales of £1m plus homes reach pre-crunch levels
Sales of homes worth £1m or more have reached their highest level since the peak of the housing market in 2007, according to Lloyds TSB.
Mortgage rates hit record low
A report by Countrywide shows that the average interest rate of purchase and remortgages has fallen to 3.71% in September 2011, the lowest rate since September 2008.
Tenant demand continues to spiral, say landlords
Tenant demand continued to climb during the third quarter of the year, research by specialist buy-to-let lender Paragon has revealed.
Rise in tenants seeking help with rent arrears
The charity National Debtline has reported an 84% rise in the number of tenants seeking advice on rent arrears.
Terrace values climb the most
The average price of terraced homes in the UK has risen by more than any other type of property over the last 10 years, according to new Halifax research.
Most young people aspire to buy own home
More than eight out of ten young people (18-24) still aspire to own their own home by the time they are 30.
Housing deposits increase tenfold in twenty years
New research from first direct shows the increasingly difficult task house buyers face, with rises in the cost of properties and required deposits far outstripping rises in income.
Surge in family-focused letting
There is a surge in the proportion of landlords planning to purchase family-focused housing reveals research by Paragon.
Cheaper to buy than rent for first time buyers
The cost of buying a home for first-time buyers (FTB) is more than £100 a month lower than renting, according to new research by Halifax.
Tenants bracing themselves for higher rents
According to Rightmove - Tenants are anticipating further rent rises, with one in six expecting rents to go up by more than 10% over the next 12 months.
Surge in housing benefit tenants renting privately
Soaring tenant demand in the private sector is coming from people on benefit.The latest RICS quarterly rental survey, covering the quarter to the end of July, says that 13% of all new lets were to housing benefit tenants.
Economy a concern but landlords confident about Private Rented Sector
Landlord optimism is at its highest point for almost four years, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA) in its latest Landlord Optimism Index.
School catchment areas crucial for homebuyers
Moving into the catchment area of a good school is becoming an increasingly important issue for homebuyers, according to new research from Santander Mortgages.
House sale volumes fall back as mortgage lending slips
Gross mortgage lending in July dropped to an estimated £12.6bn, and housing transactions also fell.
Property at most affordable in 8 years
The proportion of towns and cities across the UK that are affordable for first-time buyers has risen to its highest level since 2003, Halifax has claimed.
Landlords vulnerable to rate rises
Private landlords will be negatively impacted by a rise in buy-to-let interest rates reveals a National Landlords Association survey.
Pickles: Councils should publish property registers
The government has said public sector organisations could save up to £35bn over ten years through better property management if they publish registers of all buildings and land owned.
CBI forecasts growth
Latest economic forecast from the CBI forecasts growth albeit at lacklustre levels
Huw stars again in Homes under the hammer
Sales and Marketing Director at Shaws Estate Agents, Huw Jones, is becoming something of a TV star with his regular appearances on BBC TV programme, Homes under the Hammer.
Average Buy To Let mortgage rates drop
The average chosen buy-to-let rate for both fixed and tracker mortgages has fallen in the second quarter 0.18% from the first quarter reveals TBMC’s Landlord Profile Tracking Index.
Survey shows owner-occupation down by 4 per cent in four years
The English Housing Survey Housing Stock Report 2009, (published 5 July 2011), shows that owner-occupation fell from 14.8 million (71 per cent) in 2005 to 14.5 million (67 per cent) in 2009-10.
Number of mortgage products increase again
The number of mortgage products available to UKmortgage intermediaries has increased for the seventh month in a row.
Trading Places
The government’s proposing to empower local authorities to evict council house tenants who earn in excess of £100,000, but what does it mean for the private-rented sector? Lorna Blackwood of the Negotiator magazine investigates.
Distance to work most important factor
The distance between a homebuyer’s new home and their workplace is the biggest priority when it comes to buying a property, according to new research from Santander Mortgages.
Terraced houses more likely to be repossessed
Terraces are set to account for four out of ten repossessions across the UK during 2011, according to HML following its analysis of 320,000 live mortgage accounts.
Gardens can sell a property
A survey of 2000 adults by HSBC has revealed that while 72% of us currently have a garden, 96% say outside space is important to us when we are viewing a new property.
Average age of a first time buyer will reach 41
The average age of a first-time buyer will be 41 years by the year 2025, up from today’s average age of 38.
Positive outlook for Buy to Let market in 2011
Commenting on the prospects for the sector in 2011, Nigel Terrington, Chief Executive of Buy-to-let mortgage specialist Paragon Group, said: "2010 provided a solid base for the buy-to-let market on which to build over the next 12 months.
Energy Bill could have major impact on private rented sector
Proposals could make it illegal to let inefficient energy homes
Remortgage lending set to rise
With interest rates likely to increase, those that have decided not to move at present, are looking at remortgaging
Mortgage applications up 11.6%
March saw an 11.6% increase in mortgage applications over February and a 20% improvement on the same period in 2010
Buying is more affordable than renting but . . .
Report from the Halifax says buying is more affordable than renting (if you can raise the deposit)
Consumer Confidence in UK Property Market Is Strong
Survey by Worldwide Property Group reveals consumer confidence is high in regards UK property market.
House sellers cutting more off their asking prices
Report from Zoopla says sellers are reducing prices by increasing amounts but geographic variances are significant
Average FTB deposit is 17 per cent
Survey from Santander shows that deposits paid by first-time buyers trying to get on the British housing ladder during the last 12 years have averaged 17% of the overall property value.
Huge drop in numbers expecting rates to rise
Research has revealed a 20% drop in respondents expecting interest rates to rise, a figure which has previously trended upwards in the monthly survey since the start of the year.
Rise of the mature renter
One in eight people living in shared accommodation in the UK is over the age of 40, according to a nationwide survey carried out by flat and house-share website SpareRoom.co.uk.
Ladies first onto the property ladder
The saying ‘Ladies first’ also applies to the property market according to new research by Post Office Mortgages.
Consumers expect house prices to rise
More Britons expect house prices to rise rather than fall over the next twelve months, according to the Halifax Housing Market Confidence tracker.
Number of mortgage products at 3-year high
There are now nearly 12,000 mortgage products available in the marketplace
Get rid of crooked agents, ARLA tells ministers
ARLA has once again appealed to the Government to exercise more control over both landlords and agents in the private rented sector.
Hidden gas flues in rental properties must be checked
Landlords are being reminded of the need to get gas boiler and flue systems checked yearly, as new guidance comes into force to protect residents from potential carbon monoxide leaks from hidden flues.
Nine out of ten landlords happy with their agents
Report from Endsleigh confirms what we already believed.
Summary of the Private Rented Sector and Buy to Let market 2011
Summary of key points taken from the UK Private Rented Sector & Buy To Let Market 2011 report from Paragon plc.
Greater numbers of high value property entering rental market
2011 has seen an influx of higher value property into the Private Rented Sector (PRS), according to the latest research from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).
Budget 2011
Key points from the Budget on March 23rd 2011
