The New Year is here and as always there are plenty of predictions. Trying to second guess the market is a dangerous game. Who expected the collapse of the banks in 2008 which sent shivers through the offices of almost every Estate Agent in the land? Even though agents knew deep...
Scrooge had been trying to sell his house all year - but to no effect. He was fed up with cold winters and longed to move to Spain where he had found a flat at a knockdown price being sold by a desperate developer. Now it was Christmas again and there was still no sign of a buyer...
How many times have I mentioned stamp duty on this page and at last the Chancellor has listened. Stamp duty on the purchase of property has been slashed for homes valued up to £937,500. This means that property in the lower and medium price ranges is greatly reduced and...
Some interesting results from a recent survey suggest that the Chancellor should listen to growing concern from the public as well as estate agents. Over one third of people say they would like the government to change the price brackets for stamp duty bands, while almost...
A recent report states that buyers with mortgages pay £316 more on average per month compared to those renting comparable properties- but within five years owners recoup their initial buying costs and become better off, according to one of the national property portals...
The number of people actively looking for property in September reached the highest level since 2004, the latest Housing Market Report from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) shows. The NAEA report for September found that member agents reported an average of...
Halloween raised the ghostly topic of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. Under these, should an agent disclose whether a house is haunted. Of course, an agent may well take the view that they do not believe in ghosts. However, according to a UK Gallup...
Following the recession, broadly speaking prices in Oxfordshire started rising in January 2013 and have continued to increase since then. Next year the forecast is for further price rises, but there are also warnings of a slow down so once again the lack of a crystal ball is...
Bringing in a mansion tax on all homes worth £2m or more to raise money for the NHS has been labeled a “stunt’. The British Property Federation was among the many critics of the move described as purely political. Other critics have said that the tax will...
Vendors who carry out their own viewings should be put on their guard so they do not mislead potential purchasers. If they do, they could face action by Trading Standards, or private litigation. So could an agent be culpable if the owner of the property were to lie or omit...
Slowdown? What slowdown? Against the trend of most recent market forecasts, one agent is suggesting that growth in the mainstream UK market will see up to 32 per cent price surges by the end of 2018. Recent comment from within the profession says the average UK house price...
Recent research suggests that there were 28,600 first-time buyer mortgages in June – 7% more than in May and 19% more than in June 2013. It means that in total, almost half of residential mortgage lending – excluding remortgages and buy to let was to first time...
A reliable mobile phone signal is the number one priority for young home buyers, ahead of worries about crime levels, transport links and schools according to new research. Just under half of 18-35 year olds said having a good mobile signal was their most important...
Recent research into commission charged by Estate Agents suggests that British agents are amongst the best value anywhere in the world. Six months ago “Estate Agency Today” looked at fees in nine countries in addition to the UK; now they have updated those nine...
We are midway through the property year and while the market seems to have steadied, once again property is big news. The headlines in our press and often lead items on television and radio news are about the housing market, what it's doing and what the future holds. ...
Trust the French to add a touch of panache and je ne sais quoi to the drab business of buying property at auction. You would have thought the only essential piece of equipment was a good sturdy gavel, its bang audible at the back of the room. But the French are far more romantic...
The true cost of moving home should always be counted in more than monetary terms. There is the cost of time and the emotional toll as well. Time is one of the key components to a successful sale. But nowadays transactions seem to be taking longer than ever. There is no...
Up to 2.3 million homeowners aged 55 and over are banking on raising an average of £85,300 each by downsizing their homes according to research conducted by Prudential. The research found that 38 per cent of over 55 homeowners expect to sell their houses at some point...
Once again the television cameras have been peeking into the working lives of estate agents. The latest BBC 2 fly-on-the-wall series called Under Offer became required watching for many. So how did the estate agents in the programme perform? Many documentary and reality TV...
We believe that buyers should be sensible, able to afford their mortgage payments and take into account possible interest rate rises, but as with many new dictats and legislative changes, there are consequences. The new MMR (Mortgage Market Review) will take time and the...
Mortgage Market Review or MMR is here and it remains to be seen how it affects the property market, particularly values and timing. Brokers, lenders and consumers will be noticing changes in mortgage applications, and the ongoing administration of mortgage accounts, as lenders...
There has been yet another new proposal from within the estate agency profession to change the way stamp duty is charged which is fairer to the consumer and will help to get the current log jam of housing supply unblocked. Under the radical proposal, each seller will be...
The big challenge in this property market is the lack of time available to make a decision to buy. The fewer properties there are on the market, the more pressure there is on buyers to make a choice quickly. Figures show that in London alone there are multiple buyers for every...
Buyers outnumber sellers, so we need your house to sell now! A shortage of homes coming onto the nation's housing market is seriously hampering growth and pushing prices higher in many parts of the country, says the RICS January Residential Market Survey. During January, the...
“IT’S THE PRICE THAT SELLS THE HOME”. You’ve heard the old saying “location, location, location”. The real truth is “location, condition price”. Price trumps every other factor. Location affects the value...
2014 looks like it might be a year for the seller. Demand has outstripped supply and prices are rising. Estate agents often get the blame for pushing up prices. But it is buyers who set the pace. Whichever way you cut it a property is still only worth what...
George Osborne has decided that “foreigners” should pay 28% capital gains tax when they sell properties they have purchased in the UK. We think most people will agree with that policy but it was also suggested that to ”kill the Golden Central London Goose&...