Breaking News

 ‘Reliance on Rightmove and Zoopla carries significant risk’, says Paul Smith, CEO of Spicerhaart

 

Paul Smith, CEO of Spicerhaart and a Non-Executive Director of Agents’ Mutual comments: OnTheMarket.com launched less than a year ago into a highly competitive marketplace but in this short space of time, the brand has already become familiar to millions of property-seekers across the country. The website was carefully designed to create a search function…

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Alex Evans

Investors now buying in France.

 

For as long as us Brits have been buying retirement and holiday homes in France the appeal has mostly been the price difference. For many years it is common knowledge, depending where you buy in France of course, that prices are much cheaper across the channel and you get a lot more for your money…

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Christopher Walkey

Taylor Wimpey record profits.

 

Taylor Wimpey PLC  yesterday released  their trading statement for the year to the 31st December 2015, they reported record profitability as demand surged. The UK’s third-biggest housebuilder reported a record operating profit margin of over 20% in the year to the end of December, on the back of strong demand in the UK housing market….

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Allen Walkey

Your Move Estate Agency launches television advert:

 

With 285 branches and being the UK’s most visited Estate Agency website, Your Move are now pushing out their first TV advertisement campaign. As television advertising becomes much more accessible for businesses across the UK (many more channels these days so much more competition = lower charges). Who will be next? We certainly see the…

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Christopher Walkey

Conveyancing fraud.

 

According to an article appearing on AOL online yesterday, it was reported that scammers have been committing  conveyancing fraud by intercepting solictors emails, swindling 91 people over the last 12 months according to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. These fraudsters have diverted more than £10 million in funds directly to themselves in the last year…

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Allen Walkey

Flood recovery: households and businesses.

 

The serious flooding of winter 2015/2016 has been addressed via Communities and Business Recovery Scheme. “Under the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme we have provided local authorities with funding worth over £500 for every household affected. This is intended to help with recovery costs, such as temporary accommodation.” To find out more visit the office www.gov.uk…

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Christopher Walkey

Another Hybrid Estate Agency to launch.

 

This will certainly be a trend going forward, new Hybrid estate agencies and online estate agencies to launch across the UK in 2016 with a focus on national coverage. This time we see YOPA who are set to launch in Yorkshire later this week. Already with pilots tested in the Granada and Meridian regions, YOPA…

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Christopher Walkey

Private tenants struggle to pay rent.

 

According to a recent article in The Guardian, the charity Shelter say that over half of private tenants are struggling to pay their rent. The survey revealed that 15% of private renters are worried about paying their rent this month and that nearly a third, have had to cut back on winter essentials such as…

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Allen Walkey

Rightmove logo

Record Christmas and New Year traffic on Rightmove

 

Save-to-buy renters could afford to put  on average £210 towards their deposit each month by flatsharing,  Newcastle offers the best value being only 11% more expensive for a two-bed than a one-bed flat, that is according to Rightmove’s Rental Price Tracker Blog Average asking rents rose in all regions in 2015, an annual increase of 3.8%…

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Allen Walkey

Halifax HPI Decemeber

 

The Halifax House Price Index released last week showed that quarterly house price growth remained below 2%. House prices in the latest three months (October-December) were 1.6% higher than in the preceding three months. Prices in the three months to December were 9.5% higher than in the same three months a year earlier. Commenting, Martin…

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Allen Walkey

If UK votes to leave EU

 

What will be the affect if UK votes to leave EU? If the Referendum result is to leave the EU, there will likely be a ‘settlement’ period of at least 2 years.  During this time, Britain and the EU will look at reciprocal arrangements, such as we now enjoy.  If however  Britain denies certain privileges…

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Allen Walkey

Kremer Signs 2016 Investment

 

The year of 2015 saw Kremer Signs relocated their Newbury based head office to a 15,000 sqft, state of the art production facility. This move was a strategic investment from the current owners and with the additional space they hold their own raw material stock (over 100,000 sheets of correx material & 25,000 timber posts)…

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Alex Evans

Increase in limited company BTL activity.

 

According to Mortgages for Business there has been a sharp rise in the use of   limited companies when investors look to purchase a Buy-to-Let (BTL), new applications for limited company mortgages for December has risen to 38% of all buy-to-let applications, that figure is up from 15% in October 2015. The proportion of lenders offering…

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Allen Walkey

HBF reaction to LGA planning permission claims.

 

Home Builders Federation reaction to yesterday’s LGA claims re planning permissions ‘waiting to be built’. “As has been proved time and time again, house builders do not landbank in terms of delaying start on site once they have an ‘implementable’ planning permission . The vast majority of the 475,647 homes quoted by the LGA are…

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Allen Walkey

Homes with planning permission yet to be built.

 

New research published yesterday by the Local Government Association reveals there are a record 475,647 homes in England which have been given planning permission but have yet to be built, the study was carried out by industry experts Glenigan The LGA said that the figures underline the need for councils to be able to invest…

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Allen Walkey