August 31, 2007

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Spain property prices rise fastest

Permalink: Spain property prices rise fastest
by Kay Murchie

Research by mortgage lender Halifax has established that property prices in Spain have risen at a quicker rate than anywhere in Europe over the last 5 years, even outperforming a strong UK market. The cost of a Spanish property doubled between ...

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Could shake-up in mortgage lending spread across the Atlantic?

Permalink: Could shake-up in mortgage lending spread across the Atlantic?
by Kay Murchie

Analysts anticipate prices falling around 10% in America’s property market and if this happens, many believe it would be an asset deflation in the US never seen since the Great Depression. The downturn has uncovered large gaps in ...

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First-time buyers benefiting from slowdown

Permalink: First-time buyers benefiting from slowdown
by Kay Murchie

First time buyers aiming to get onto the property ladder could take advantage of the current slowdown in house prices. Despite Nationwide reporting an accelerated rate of price growth this month, longer-term trends point to a softening in the market. According ...

August 30, 2007

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Buy-to-let market remains strong

Permalink: Buy-to-let market remains strong
by Kay Murchie

According to Paragon, the property specialists, landlords have been buoyed by strong rental demand in spite of high interest rates and increasing property prices causing a slowdown in the mortgage market. Over the last 3 months, rents increased by an average of 3% ...

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Houses more expensive in country than city

Permalink: Houses more expensive in country than city
by Kay Murchie

The Halifax’s Rural Housing Review has established that houses in the countryside are 14% more expensive than those in the city. The bank declared that the average price of a countryside retreat in Britain is £246,104. In urban areas, ...

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Fewer mortgages approved

Permalink: Fewer mortgages approved
by Kay Murchie

Figures from The British Bankers Association (BBA) show that 66,965 home loans were granted during July — a fall from 75,318 in June. That was also down on the 67,412 home loans approved in July 2006. The figures are a sure sign that the housing ...

August 29, 2007

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Market slows due to fewer sellers and fewer sales

Permalink: Market slows due to fewer sellers and fewer sales
by Kay Murchie

Figures from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) discovered that the number of people seeking a property fell by 2.5% between June and July. Annually the fall was even more evident. Increases to the base rate ...

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Overseas property investment – a safe option

Permalink: Overseas property investment – a safe option
by Kay Murchie

Property investment in the UK is becoming a worry with some financial experts believing a crash in the housing market is imminent. A vast number of first-time buyers are borrowing at least 5 times their salary and figures from ...

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Britons buying property abroad due to wet UK weather

Permalink: Britons buying property abroad due to wet UK weather
by Kay Murchie

Wet weather in the UK is forcing British people to buy property abroad according to a report from Barclays. In addition, Overseas Emigration, the migration company, has expressed concern that the wet summer of 2007 will only ...

August 28, 2007

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New Telephony Solution for Tesco Property Market

Permalink: New Telephony Solution for Tesco Property Market
by Kay Murchie

Tesco Property Market has introduced its customised telephony solution based on ContactWorld, the hosted telephony platform from NewVoiceMedia. ContactWorld is the latest generation of hosted telephony platform from NewVoiceMedia. The modular platform was designed to process each individual caller in ...

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Kitchen is an important feature

Permalink: Kitchen is an important feature
by Kay Murchie

Research from Legal & General has discovered that the most important factor when buying a new home in the UK is a large kitchen or garden. The study noted that 15% said a large kitchen with space for a dining table was most ...

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Sell your home on eBay

Permalink: Sell your home on eBay
by Kay Murchie

Supermarket giant Tesco recently announced that it would go head-to-head with estate agents allowing homeowners to sell their property online for a cut-price fee of £199. There are also low-cost internet estate agency sites but the latest craze is selling your home ...

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House price growth slows

Permalink: House price growth slows
by Kay Murchie

Hometrack, the housing intelligence business, has reported that many areas in the UK have not seen an increase in property prices and some have noted price falls over the past month. This is the fifth consecutive month that house price growth has slowed ...

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Prospective homeowners urged to lie by brokers

Permalink: Prospective homeowners urged to lie by brokers
by Kay Murchie

It has been claimed that prospective homeowners are being encouraged by mortgage brokers to lie about their salary in order to secure huge loans. A spokesperson for the Citizens Advice Bureau said that an increasing amount of people are being ...

August 24, 2007

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Northern Rock raises subprime interest rates

Permalink: Northern Rock raises subprime interest rates
by Brian Turner

Northern Rock has announced that it raising the interest rates on so-called subprime mortgages by up to 1.25%. The company will also no longer issue tracker mortgages in the bad credit market that follow the Bank of England's lead. The changes ...

August 23, 2007

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Brightsale files OFT complaint against Estate Agents

Permalink: Brightsale files OFT complaint against Estate Agents
by Brian Turner

Internet estate agency, Brightsale, has issued a formal complain to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), over suggestions that some estate agencies were forcing exclusive contracts on home sellers. It comes after allegations that estate agencies are trying to freeze out ...

August 21, 2007

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CML reports record mortgage lending

Permalink: CML reports record mortgage lending
by Brian Turner

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported that mortgage lending continues to be robust. Although lending in July was down slightly on the previous month, at £34.4 billion it represents the highest July lending figure on record. It comes at a time ...

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Channel 4 Dispatches seeks First Time Buyers

Permalink: Channel 4 Dispatches seeks First Time Buyers
by Brian Turner

Channel 4's Dispatches programme is looking for people looking to get onto the property ladder for the first time, so that the real life problems of buying property can be documented in the program. To be filmed by Steve Boulton Productions, ...

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Builders say no to green Merton Rule

Permalink: Builders say no to green Merton Rule
by Brian Turner

Builders and property development groups are pressuring the government to abolish the Merton Rule. Named after the council that initiated it, the Merton Rule requires builders to find ways to find 10% of the property's energy from renewable sources. The aim is ...

August 17, 2007

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31% of pensioners consider moving abroad

Permalink: 31% of pensioners consider moving abroad
by Kay Murchie

The Bank of Scotland International has established that 31% of pensioners have considered moving abroad. However, a spokesperson for the bank warned that when retiring abroad, it is essential to look into your pension arrangements and have sufficient financial planning in ...