From the category archives:

Property News

Signs of Housing Market Recovery in US and in UK Investment in Buy to Lease is Still Attractive

As the UK housing market continues to struggle, it is good practice to glimpse at the levels of recovery in other countries. It has of course been especially difficult in the US where the housing market crisis is blamed for the ripple effect that collapsed world economies. While the majority of the US is still [...]

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UK Housing Market Hanging Onto Tomorrow

More anxiety is brewing about a possible housing collapse, and recent data from the British Banking Association only confirmed those fears. The BBA announced that less than 30,000 loans actually went through mortgage approval in November. October was slightly higher at 30,698, but still not even in the ballpark of where it needs to be. [...]

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Scottish Vacancies Continue to Rise

Vacant homes figures are on the rise in Scotland. Numbers like this haven’t been lower since 2003. The reason for an increase in vacant homes is low property values and matching low incomes. The latest report indicates the number of vacancies in Scotland sits around 106,300. An idea which is being passed around is for [...]

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UK Social Housing Scam Costly for Taxpayers

Some council tenants are stepping over the line to make some extra pounds. The scam is costing UK taxpayers about 5 billion pounds a year. The scamming tenants can earn up to 20,000 pounds a year, and are getting better at keeping it quiet. The scam is simple. Move into a social housing property, then [...]

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FSA Sees Little Encouragement in Latest Housing Figures

The Financial Services Authority has some discouraging news regarding the UK housing market. The number of homeowners delinquent on mortgage payments totals an estimated 350,000, and the number seems to be growing with some type of arrears added to the balance. With the strength of the economic recovery being measured mainly by the housing market, [...]

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High Loan-To-Value Products Tempting for Many

Will the market consider mortgage offers that could be called pre-credit crunch? Or, is it just a way to roll the proverbial ball forward and start building some effective momentum toward recovery? Yes, the 90% loan-to-value mortgage product is being offered again, and first time buyers are taking notice. They might be better off waiting [...]

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UK Housing Cuts Debated with Real Impact in Mind

Last week the Chancellor, George Osborne, stated the new housing budget included slashing the benefits almost in half – from 8.4 billion pounds to 4.4 billion pounds over the next four years. This would be achieved by “massively increasing” the rent on any new properties being built to up to 80 per cent of the [...]

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Property Market Woes Continue

Evidence just keeps piling up of continued difficulties in the property sector. The Bank of England’s latest report on mortgage lending showed only 47,474 mortgages were approved in September — the fifth month of consecutive decline and the lowest level of approvals since February. The figure was just a small dip from the 47,498 mortgage [...]

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Taking a Second Look at the Housing Shortfall

A cardinal assumption in the housing industry is that the UK will continue to face a shortage in housing well into the next decade. This same assumption is also used to argue for continued building of more homes. But some quarters in the housing industry believe the numbers for overall housing demand may be inflated. [...]

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September Injects New Life Into Housing Market with 14% Surge in Loan Applications

The end of the summer lull has brought with it a breath of fresh air for the UK home mortgage market – a 14 per cent increase in loan applications from August to September. An increase that some would call the “saving grace” of the market right now to prevent a double dip recession from [...]

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