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Is property poised for a post-poll recovery?

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

Property market jitters in the run-up to the general election could give investors who missed the trough last year a second chance to buy.

Skipton Building Society to face legal challenge

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:42:54 GMT

A mortgage lender could be successfully blocked from increasing mortgage interest rates for tens of thousands of borrowers in the High Court, a London law firm has claimed.

The problem of rising rents gives househunters a new challenge

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:01:36 GMT

Would-be newcomers to the world of property are being confronted with an extra challenge before they try to buy their first home — a shrinking and more expensive rental market.

Asking prices hit by sudden increase in homes for sale

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

The number of homeowners selling their properties rose to an 18-month high in March, bringing down the rate of increase in asking prices to the lowest level recorded.

Fears grow that new mortgage drought could hit house prices

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

Homeowners have been told to expect another slide in property prices after the general election as fears grow that rising unemployment and a second wave of mortgage shortages will suffocate the fragile recovery in the housing market.

Selling your home without an estate agent

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

Selling a home without an estate agent can save you thousands of pounds, but it takes time and knowledge. A new Tesco service, iSold, offers a compromise: a no-frills online agent’s package for £999, all-in.

Mortgage lending falls as buyers leave market

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:50:46 GMT

Homebuyers abandoned the housing market in January after the end of the holiday on stamp duty.

Interest rates on popular mortgage deals at 6-year low

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:54:03 GMT

Homeowners who are able to secure a new mortgage are benefitting from the lowest interest rates in more than six years, Bank of England figures show.

Chester Square, Britain's most expensive address

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

There is one well-appointed corner of the property market where prices remain determinedly upwardly mobile. In the plush confines of prime Central London, the average property value is £5,545,900, up from £4,851,582 last year.

Is this the worst-ever shortfall?

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

THE plight of millions of people who face shortfalls on their endowment mortgages is well known but tens of thousands of savers with pension mortgages face a similar predicament — and the City regulator has failed to take any action.

Now is time to fix mortgage

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

BORROWERS are being urged to fix their mortgages as the prospect of a hung parliament threatens to push up the price of new loans.

New-build dreams turn sour

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:01:33 GMT

Thousands of investors who agreed to buy off-plan hotel rooms or apartments are facing legal action from property developers because they cannot complete the deal.

Foxtons to expand as housing market picks up

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:33:57 GMT

Foxtons, the London estate agency famed for its fleet of Minis and hard sales tactics, has confirmed plans to expand around the capital in response to the increasingly thriving property market in the city.

Sell your home for only £999

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:15:37 GMT

Tesco has launched a new estate agency offering people the chance to sell their homes for only £999.

Unite benefits as jobless go back to college

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:01:00 GMT

Higher unemployment is forcing more young people into further education, increasing demand for short-term flats and providing a boost for Unite, the student accommodation developer.

Cheaper deals for borrowers with small deposits

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:32:37 GMT

Mortgage lenders have dramatically reduced the cost of some of the most popular home loans and those aimed at borrowers with smaller deposits, as competition to attract new customers intensifies.

"Green loans" to make homes more energy efficient

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:47:50 GMT

Homeowners will be offered "green loans" to cover the cost of making their properties more energy efficient, under plans unveiled by the Government today.

Sterling tumbles amid growing fears of hung Parliament

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:44:34 GMT

Sterling plummeted to a nine-month low against the dollar today and could tumble further, analysts warned, as fears mounted that the general election could result in a hung parliament.

House price slide could be start of longer downturn

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:01:00 GMT

The UK’s largest building society said a second downturn in house prices may be on its way, after it recorded the first fall in average values for 10 months.

House price dip may be good news in the end for economy

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:01:00 GMT

The first fall in house prices for ten months could be a “positive development” that prevents the housing market from racing ahead of the general economy, Britain’s biggest building society has said.

Santander gives first-time buyers new hope

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:01:00 GMT

Santander will today open its doors to first-time buyers of new-build property for the first time since the banking crisis began.

OFT warns letting agents to amend unfair terms

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:40:23 GMT

Tens of thousands of landlords could be in line for refunds after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) confirmed that it was writing to a number of letting agents warning of unfair contract terms.

Threatened Abbey Road studios to remain under EMI ownership

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:26 GMT

The future of the Abbey Road recording studios was secured yesterday when EMI, the struggling record label that owns the site, said that the historic music venue was not for sale.

Skipton’s loan hike contested

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:01:00 GMT

A FIRM of solicitors has said it will investigate the legality of Skipton building society’s controversial decision to break a guarantee to keep its standard variable mortgage rate within three percentage points of Bank rate.

Threat to ‘bank of mum and dad’

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:01:00 GMT

HALIFAX, historically Britain’s biggest lender, has been accused of making it more difficult for parents to help their children on to the housing ladder — the latest sign that banks are restricting lending.