Rightmove has reported that the week before the General Election saw the highest number of new sellers entering the UK property market since June 2008. However, the property portal observes that the lack of mortgage finance is now beginning to tell, with 2010 unsold stock levels continue an “inexorable rise”. As a result, new sellers [...]
The UK property market experienced a seasonal bounce last month, with estate agents reporting more properties for sale alongside a rise in the number of house-hunters. According to the National Association of Estate agents (NAEA), the stock of homes for sale in March was at its highest for six months, and although first-time buyer interest [...]
Agency Express has reported a surge in house sales between January and February, with three regions reporting their highest monthly sales since the market peak in 2007. According to the firm, which claims to be the UK’s largest “For Sale” board management contractor, every region except Central England saw substantial month-on-month increases, with star performers [...]
New research from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) suggests why it has become harder for first-time buyers to enter the UK’s property market in recent years, despite the “sea-change” decrease in interest rates since the early 1990s. Falling interest rates should mean a rise in the size of mortgage that can be serviced from [...]
With the stamp duty holiday due to end on 31st December, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is warning that a return to the previous structure of the tax could have a detrimental affect on the UK’s fragile property market. According to the body, regions that are already lagging behind in the recovery will [...]
Entrepreneur, James Caan, has launched an attempt to kick-start the UK property market in conjunction with property portal, Look4AProperty.com. Look4AProperty Money is offering interest-free loans to cover costs such as stamp duty and legal fees, with access to the scheme through a UK-wide network of selected estate agents. According to Mr Caan, who is best [...]
Latest figures from moneysupermarket.com indicate that confidence in the UK’s property market is recovering. Since January, the price comparison website has recorded a 20% rise in the number of searches for mortgages for house purchasers. As a result, the number of property movers visiting the site has exceeded the number of remortgagers. Remortgage searches fell [...]
The outlook for the UK property market remains positive with the Bank of England reporting a rise in new mortgage approvals during May. The number of loans approved for house purchases increased to 43,414, up from 43,191 in April and marking the fourth consecutive monthly rise. However, in value terms net lending for house purchases [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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