Monthly Archives: December 2014


Reflection & looking forward to 2015………

It is that time in the calendar when we look back at the past twelve months and look forward to the next twelve.

2014 has been a good year for the local property market. The recovery, which gathered pace in 2013 continued into 2014 with house prices increasing, bringing more people out of negative equity or enabling them to accumulate a larger deposit to move on again. However, the second half of the year saw prices stabilise and the year draw … Continue Reading…


Buy to let boom continues with new mortgage highs

The buy to let sector is at its strongest for six years according to data released by the Bank of England.

Lending for buy to let mortgages jumped to a whopping £8 billion in the third quarter of this year – the highest quarterly lending volume since 2008 and up from £5.9 billion in the same period of 2013.

These are just the latest figures to show the private rental sector going through a boom.

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders lending … Continue Reading…


Seven great property ideas that never caught on

A few innovations that have belly-flopped, delivering something less than their publicists promised at the outset.

Good on the property industry for trying new things but here are seven reminders that this year’s heavily-funded great idea might just be next year’s embarrassing turkey.

1. City Centre Living: It’s over a decade since the property industry forecast that so many people would want to rent in regenerated city centres that an infinite number of buy-to-let apartments could be built (almost all of them, … Continue Reading…


Sellers! Don’t Wait for the New Year

 

Many think buyers stop looking at houses during the Christmas period and as such, would-be sellers often choose to put their property on the market in the New Year. However, 89% of Relocation Agent Network member estate agents, who responded to a December survey, recommend that prospective sellers go to market before the Christmas break…

Why? Well the Relocation Agent Network survey found two key reasons:

1. 41% of Relocation Agent Network agents said that it was the increased activity in online … Continue Reading…


Stamp Duty Reformed

It has been needed for many years, but today the chancellor George Osborne has announced in the Autumn Statement that Stamp Duty is to be reformed from midnight tonight. The old stamp duty created problems with sale prices close to the thresholds of 1% and 3%. The new rules are as follows:

Stamp duty to be reformed. The “single-slab” rate will go, and instead it will be levied at a more gradual rate.

98% of buyers will benefit.

The reform will cost £800m … Continue Reading…