Archive

The National Audit Office says many users of Help To Buy would have been able to purchase a home anyway, without...

The issue of ‘intergenerational fairness’ has been raised in recent weeks, some might say somewhat ironically by a House of Lords’...

With the UK population spending longer in rental accommodation, due to the upfront expense of buying a home, their time and...

It’s no secret that the UK’s housing sector is in crisis. Headlines scream about the shortage of new-build homes. TV pundits...

Whether it is legacy providers with new, young businesses, or large banks with PropTech startups, all types of cross-collaboration are vital. It’s...

Over the last few years, there have a number of changes to the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) regime, which have...

Estate agents have responded cynically to the small-fry property sector announcements made by Chancellor Phillip Hammond in yesterday’s spring statement mini-Budget. Overshadowed...

It’s not just the high-end market for homes in the south east that’s hit by Brexit according to the Guild of...

Cast your minds back to the summer of 2014. It’s 9.55 am somewhere in east London ‘Sorry I’m late’ offers the...

In these tougher times, we recognise that helping agents win new inventory is the key to their businesses.  There were more than...

Purchasing a property. It’s a key life goal that so many Millennials aspire to - yet one that has become frustratingly...

The 100 per cent mortgage for first time buyers, which many people thought had disappeared for good, is now back in...

A review of the housing market at present, particularly when it comes to purchase transactions, might not necessarily feel overly positive.  The...

I often speak of my wish to see property taken out of the hands of politicians. Indeed, this is likely to...

It’s the word on everyone’s lips: after two and a half years of debate, and months before that leading up to...

Phil Spencer is on the warpath against “constant tinkering” by government in housing matters - and instead, he wants the problems...

As 2018 draws to a close, it is fair to say that stretched affordability and uncertainty over the Brexit negotiations has...

Uncertainty will be a key characteristic of the housing market for “the next few years” warns Countrywide - and not just...

An end-of-year analysis from the National Association of Estate Agents shows the state of the industry - and it confirms just...

Mainstream bank lending for house purchases grew by 3.6 per cent in October compared to the same month last year. However the...

A no-deal Brexit The biggest impact of a no-deal Brexit in relation to housing is a potential fall in house prices -...

The latest research from online estate agency Emoov shows at least one silver lining to the current Brexit-hit housing market -...

On the face of it, this year’s Budget was not what you could describe as ‘housing heavy’ in terms of the...

An open rental market, where neither landlord nor tenant is in a dominant position, enables rents to rise and fall, which...

Zoopla says 38 per cent of properties on sale have had their asking prices slashed. That’s a five per cent rise since...

We’re sorry to be starting the week with more evidence of the housing market in the doldrums, but Rightmove’s latest index...

I’ve spoken many times before of my desire to see government take property more seriously. For more than just lip service...

The income first-time buyers need to purchase a home in the UK’s largest cities has shot up by 18 per cent...

Landlords and letting agents might feel they’ve taken a bit of a battering from the government in recent years – and...

Owning a home has become almost impossible for many public sector workers across Britain, according to research from the union UNISON. Getting...

Speculation is growing that the Help to Buy scheme is set to be discontinued following a review by government ministers. Recent research...

Property sellers have been on the back foot over the slow summer period, according to the latest report from NAEA Propertymark....

Over a fifth of pensioners say they would be encouraged to downsize if there was a stamp duty incentive - particularly...

Some 31 per cent of first time buyers residing in London ended up moving away from the capital to purchase a...

More than 420,000 people have now used the government’s Help to Buy schemes to get themselves on to the housing ladder...

A respected mortgage broker has found that there is widespread public uncertainty amongst the public about the effects of stamp duty...

A government announcement this morning claims 121,500 first time buyers have taken advantage of the stamp duty cut introduced at the...

With the continued indecision surrounding Brexit and the final divorce settlement still months away, it seems property buyers are choosing to...

Another day, another housing minister – at least that’s what it feels like! The resignation of the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson...

The consumer group Which? says some estate agents are misleading buyers about in-house mortgage services.  The consumer group has issued a number...

To say this is a turbulent time for UK politics would be something of an understatement. As I write, the Brexit...

Potential first-time buyers in every area of the UK would have lower monthly outgoings if they bought a property rather than...

The housing market “is clearly currently struggling to gain traction” and any real upturn ”will remain elusive over the coming months”...

One of the country’s leading experts on the housing market says first time buyers are still hampered from purchasing homes despite...

The housing market has swung back in favour of property sellers, according to the latest data from estate agents. NAEA Propertymark's Housing...

The Bank of Mum and Dad will provide funding towards around a quarter of property purchases this year, according to research. By...

Average first-time buyers in London spend double the amount paid by those across the rest of Britain. A typical London buyer now...

New data from Haart estate agency suggests that despite many homes sticking on the market, apparently would be buyers are locked...

James Brokenshire - yesterday appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government - joins the rank of senior politicians...

Given the level of resource and energy being put behind upping the number of first-time buyers in the UK, you might...

Property purchases for buyers requiring mortgages reached 50,000 in February, the highest level for the month since 2007.  The data, from mortgage...

Gross mortgage lending is set to reach its highest level since 2007 despite Brexit, says the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association. But its...

The National Association of Estate Agents says the government’s first time buyer stamp duty incentive “seems to be having the desired...

One day, I’ll sit down to write for Estate Agent Today and I won’t express my dismay at the lack of...

Figures just released assessing February’s mortgage borrowing show that approvals are 1.25 per cent lower than in January, and are down...

In the great swathe of housing market data which is delivered each month, conveyancers’ case volumes often get overlooked, however the...

Scotland is considering giving first time buyers relief or exemption from Land and Buildings Transaction Tax - the replacement for stamp...

The number of first-time buyers has increased 16 per cent in the past month and 10 per cent year on year...

A partner at Carter Jonas says that the next 12 months could see stagnation in the market and as a result...

Rightmove’s former lettings chief Sam Mitchell has taken over as chief executive of online agency HouseSimple, which recently won another £20m...

One of the most influential select committees in parliament has told the government that it needs to do more - much...

A set of figures produced by Haart suggests the market has had a difficult past 12 months - but the firm...

What a year it’s been! Back in 2016 we had Brexit, a new prime minister, Donald Trump’s election, and so when...

Another new year is nearly upon us and, once we’ve got the season of mince pies, mulled wine, pigs in blankets,...

A survey of the housing market in 2017 from the National Association of Estate Agents suggests much of the busiest activity...

It’s not breaking new ground to say that younger people have what many regard as the raw end of the deal...

Here we are again: another much anticipated Budget has been and gone and, yet, still nothing much has changed! Yes, of course,...

As we hurtle towards the end of 2017, it’s time to reflect on the year that’s just been.   Even better, this property-based...

Earlier this week, Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered the Autumn Budget with a strong focus on housing.  The decision to cut stamp duty...

Agents and even the Labour Party have backed the government’s scrapping of stamp duty for first time buyers’ purchases up to...

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday.  Despite...

Mortgage approvals are well above last year's levels despite concerns about the health of the housing market.  There were 66,185 mortgage applications...

The Bank of England has raised the base rate from 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent. The Bank’s monetary policy committee was...

With the Budget just over a month away, the steady stream of ‘leaks’ continues to grow as journalists and the industry...

Pressure is continuing to build on the government to reform stamp duty in next month’s Budget. Firstly a group of senior financial...

Stamp duty reform lies at the heart of the submission by the National Association of Estate Agents ahead of next month’s...

Conservative MP John Stevenson is the latest to throw his weight behind switching the burden of stamp duty from the buyer...

It appears activity in the housing market in 2017 will be around 15% down on 2016. The number of housing transactions...

With party conference season around the corner and the next Budget just a couple of months away, more industry players are...

Whenever any research is released, part of me can’t help thinking of that old adage, ‘lies, damn lies and statistics’ especially...

New data from UK Finance - previously the Council of Mortgage Lenders - paints a relatively optimistic assessment of the UK-wide...

Almost half of all property purchase valuations last month were conducted on behalf of first-time buyers according to Connells - well...

Agents say the latest Nationwide index showing a surprise rise in house prices does not change the fact that it is...

Being a leading world-class city comes at a price – they are the most expensive for occupiers and the most lucrative...

We’ve had the Bank of Mum and Dad so is the next big thing to hit the market a growing number...

Government schemes like Help To Buy, supposedly assisting more people get on the ladder, have little impact on improving social mobility...

When it comes to provoking anger in property professionals, taxation takes some beating. Press releases are still arriving berating the December...

Over 250,000 non-homeowners appear to have given up on the dream of owning their own property in the past year alone,...

Home buyers borrowed £11.2 billion in March - down on the ‘stamp duty bonanza‘ period at the same time last year...

The boss of the UK's largest independent agency has called on the government to be 'radical' and consider a range of...

More than one in three first time buyers have missed out on potential home deals because their deposit was too small...

First time buyer registrations in the past month have jumped nearly 20 per cent across the UK and almost 30 per...

I wrote last month about how the Government, in introducing a 3% stamp duty surcharge on second homes, had scored an...

By Wednesday April 19th, a UK citizen, on an average income, had earned £7,789 from their day job so far this...

In recent years the mortgage industry has gone through some testing times. Recession and regulation have led to more stringent lending...

Mortgage brokers say they are encountering fewer difficulties sourcing products now than at any time for three years.  Research from the Intermediary...

There are more first-time buyers (FTBs) finding a way on to the property ladder than at any time since the Financial...

The triggering of Article 50 may have been regarded as a historic event but it appears to have left the housing...

A leading housing market analyst has made a stout defence of the growing trend of young buyers relying on their parents...

The consumer group HomeOwners Alliance claims new research indicates that more than a million UK adults have shelved plans to purchase...

The average asking price rise for homes coming to the market in the last month has been a chunky 1.3 per...

The number and range of mortgages being offered in the UK has almost returned to its pre-credit crunch level. That’s the view...

Data from the Council for Mortgage Lenders show that loans taken out by buyers have hit a near two-year low.   Home buyers...

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his first Budget this week pledging extra funding for the NHS, transport in the Midlands and the...

Jeremy Leaf, the London estate agent and former RICS residential chairman, is the latest industry figure to call for the government...

Looking ahead to the Spring Budget this week, the Chancellor Philip Hammond will be obliged to face up to the implications...

Over the past two decades, investing in buy-to-let has been a relatively easy way to make money, which is why so...

The number of home buyers in London dropped to a four-year low in 2016 while the number of loans taken out...

First-time buyers borrowed £5.1 billion from mortgage companies in December, far above the same month in 2015, and the highest December...

Cash rebates with mortgages - seen by housing market analysts as a great sweetener for many cash-strapped first-time buyers - may now...

A row has broken out over council tax funds being used to pay 18 estate agencies to find homes for a...

The East of England, which takes in areas from Hertfordshire to Norfolk, has recorded the biggest hike in property prices over...

There were an estimated 354,000 homemovers in 2016, a fall of 4% compared to the 367,000 recorded the previous year. Analysis by...

The housing market ended 2016 on a positive note, according to the latest report from the National Association of Estate Agents...

Now I’m not one to lose sleep over politicians, but it strikes me that Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Housing Minister...

New figures from the Council for Mortgage Lenders add weight to the argument that the housing market is gently slowing.  Home-owners borrowed £10.5...

There’s good news for London’s troubled market - a report from the CML shows that buyers in the capital took out 12...

It may still be too early to start compiling a Christmas wish list, but it is the right time to provide...

We are now less than a month away from Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Statement to the nation, depending of course on...

London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan says some 270,000 homes in London have been granted planning permission but have not yet been...

The huge consequences of the EU referendum, and the impending Brexit negotiations, have drawn into sharp light the consequences for a...

Conveyancing is the most complained about area of law in England and Wales – accounting, on average, for nearly a quarter...

The Conveyancing Association says new Chancellor Phillip Hammond should use next month’s Autumn Statement as the opportunity to reverse controversial buy...

Research from the consumer organisation Which? suggests that the number of mortgages on the market has increased by 13 per cent...

Fears raised over the UK housing market in the wake of the Brexit vote have so far proved to be ‘wide...

Three quarters of properties sold by National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) member branches in August were for less than the...

Those working within the UK housing market would have felt considerable worry about the immediate impact of the vote to leave...

A mortgage lender has called on the government to reform stamp duty so that it is paid by property sellers instead...

With the number of new homes being built across the UK still significantly below the level needed to meet demand, housebuilders...

Zoopla Property Group (ZPG) has announced that it has invested in a soon-to-launch PropTech startup. The group, which now owns uSwitch and...

In the capital, people will pay a premium to live near great transport links, and as we’ve seen from Crossrail and...

This week, 25 years ago the world's first website went live to those of us who were around then.  Amazingly, despite the...

Sheffield in South Yorkshire, which was once one of the leading industrial cities in Britain and is still recognised for its...

I’m indebted to one of the most enthusiastic estate agents I’ve had the pleasure of meeting for suggesting the subject of...

With a number of agent partner programmes available nationwide, estate agents can often increase business by offering sales by auction, especially...

What a month it has been. By the time you read this, we'll have a new Prime Minister, a new Cabinet,...

Estate agents and mortgage experts have reacted to the Bank of England’s surprise decision to keep base rate unchanged at 0.5...

One of the first major pieces of research to come from an estate agency following the EU referendum suggests the short-term...

As I sit and write this piece, even with the FTSE 100 back up and sterling having recovered some of its...

Never in my lifetime have I seen so much enthusiasm and passion for politics. Brexit awoke the sleeping dog in almost...

Data from Your Move and Reeds Rains - for May, so well before the EU referendum result - suggests average prices slumped 0.4...

The sense of gathering momentum for the Leave campaign ahead of the upcoming EU referendum is causing high levels of uncertainty...

There has been an 11 per cent increase in sales in Scotland over the past year - and one major agency...

During April demand for housing dropped to the lowest level recorded since March 2014, according to the National Association of Estate...

So what is it with young people failing to stand up for themselves and not making the most of their money...

There has been a 58 per cent rise in the past year for mortgages for house purchase purposes, according to the...

It’s the news that has got everyone talking: Barclays are bringing back the 100% mortgage.  The market has taken a bit of...

The summer term – rounders, cricket and hayfever. It's also the last dash before the housing market supposedly closes down for...

A consumer group which champions home owners claims twice as many members of the public support the stamp duty surcharge as...

Respected housing analyst Kate Faulkner is accusing campaigning charity Shelter of ignoring key facts and scaremongering about the alleged difficulties of...

Home lending in 2016 saw its best opening quarter for nine years according to the figures from chartered surveying firm e.surv.  An...

The Haart agency claims the number of first-time buyers looking to enter the market saw a 22.7 per cent increase on...

Average house prices across the UK increased by 7.9 per cent over the year to January, up from 6.7 per cent in...

Data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders shows that gross mortgage lending reached £17.6 billion last month - that's the highest...

In today's budget, the Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced a number of measures which will impact the property industry.  The Chancellor confirmed...

As we know, the property market in London is notorious for sitting a long way outside the conventions of the wider UK...

There has been a warm welcome given to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders showing that lending to first time...

The number of first time buyers is estimated to have totalled 310,000 in 2015, virtually unchanged over the past year despite...

Property sales in Scotland for first-time buyers and home movers are increasing three times faster than the rest of the UK...

Investors’ Chronicle, the weekly investment magazine published by the Financial Times Group, has lavishly praised high-end agency Savills for diversifying its...

In many respects 2015 has been a good year. Despite global challenges, we have seen a marked improvement in the UK...

So this weekend some of us will see our first snow of the season. Harsh weather, Christmas adverts and winter generally...

Around one million homes that were owner-occupied in 2005 have in the intervening decade been sold and switched to being privately...

Two of London’s highest profile buying agency operations have announced new team members. Prime Purchase - the buying arm of Savills -...

We have reached an interesting point in what has been a most unusual year for the property sector.  The latest figures from...

Residential valuations have reached their highest level for six months according to Connells’ survey and valuation group. Valuation activity in September was...

Help to Buy’s equity loan and mortgage guarantee schemes have helped nearly 120,000 people buy a home, according to government figures.  Since...

An unusual but large-scale piece of research suggests that older buyers are more likely to take their time viewing a property...

One of the candidates for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party says she wants pensioners to invest in bonds which...

Controversial housing charity Shelter has published a report which claims that the government's Starter Homes scheme will fail the people it...

Housing supply increased by 25% in July, according to the latest report from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).  The number...

A new website has been launched to fight back against the attack George Osborne made in the Summer Budget on the...

An out-spoken estate agent has claimed that first-time buyers in the North East of England will need to save deposits of...

The government has launched a £26m fund for house builders and developers to demonstrate the range of high quality homes appropriate...

Consider the scene. It is July 8th and new Chancellor, Ed Balls, stands at the Dispatch Box giving his first Budget...

This week the Chancellor, George Osborne, delivered the first Conservative Budget for almost 20 years. While Mr Osborne claimed that it marked...

June has witnessed a surge in residential valuations according to Connells.  It says there were 23 per cent more property valuations conducted...

Given that I wrote my last article on the day of the General Election but well before the result was known,...

The majority of agents do not see the supply and demand of homes levelling out over the next five years, according...

The  new government has announced its legislative plans for housing in the coming year.  In the first all-Conservative Queen’s Speech since 1996,...

I write this article on the day of the General Election so you’ll forgive the political analogies. In particular, how any...

Under new pension freedom reforms, people aged 55 and over can access as much of their savings from their defined contributions...

Haart estate agency claims average UK property prices have risen 5.6 per cent annually and 0.9 per cent in March, to...