Property Investment News and Analysis from Dominic Farrell.
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View Article  UK house prices 'down in April'

House prices in the UK fell by 0.4% in April reversing some of the rise seen in March, according to the Nationwide.

The building society's figures show that the pace of decline in house prices slowed, but the typical home still cost 15% less than a year ago.

The price ...   more »

View Article  Price split in home rental market

Rents for UK homes are cheaper than a year ago, according to a survey, but while flats have come down in price larger houses are bucking the trend.

The average rent stood at £819 a month in April, falling from £827 in March and £873 a year earlier, said website ...   more »

View Article  US house prices continue to fall

US house prices continued to fall in February, but the rate of decline in some markets is slowing down, a leading index has indicated.

Prices were 18.6% lower than in February 2008, the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price index said.

This was slightly better than the 19% annual fall seen ...   more »

View Article  Nationwide axes mortgage promise

The UK's biggest building society, the Nationwide, will no longer promise new borrowers that it will peg its variable rate mortgages to the Bank rate.

Existing customers on the Nationwide's variable rate home loan, called BMR, are guaranteed to pay no more than 2% above the Bank rate, currently at ...   more »

View Article  Banks face fines for poor service

Banks will face fines for poor treatment of their customers when the City watchdog takes over regulation of retail banking conduct in November.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) will replace a voluntary banking code with its own rules for banks, building societies and credit unions.

It said this would ensure ...   more »

View Article  Borrowers flock to Northern Rock

The nationalised Northern Rock bank has reported an upsurge in potential mortgage customers.

The number of new mortgage applications rose by 70% between February and March.

The bank said its deals had become more competitive, even before it embarks on its plan to lend an extra £14bn in the next ...   more »

View Article  Pound hit as debt burden to soar

The pound has fallen against the dollar and the euro after Chancellor Alistair Darling forecast a massive increase in UK public debt.

In his Budget speech, Mr Darling said that debt would increase to 68% of the UK's economic output next year.

Analysts said the rise had triggered concerns about ...   more »

View Article  Mortgage support scheme underway

A scheme to allow some mortgage borrowers to stay in their homes if they fall on hard times has begun.

The Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme (HMSS) will allow borrowers to defer up to 70% of mortgage interest payments if they lose some of their income.

The plan is one of ...   more »

View Article  Economy 'no longer in free fall'

The economy is no longer in free fall and a recovery next spring is likely, a renowned economic think tank has said.

Stabilising markets and the easing of credit conditions may well mean that the worst of the recession is over, the Ernst & Young Item Club said.

It is ...   more »

View Article  CML research on housing equity through the downturn

At the depth of the last housing market recession in 1993, 1.5 million households or more were estimated to have negative equity. Most sat tight, saved, continued to pay their mortgages and eventually recovered their equity position. And, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, this is what most of today's ...   more »

View Article  Mortgage lending shows signs of stabilising

The housing market is showing signs of stabilising, albeit at very low levels, with average sales up slightly in March and a smaller majority of estate agents still reporting falling prices, according to a leading survey.

The monthly findings from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors show that the number ...   more »

View Article  Dominic Farrell: Is The UK Property Market Reaching A Bottom?
Dear Investor,

There has been some encouraging news recently concerning the UK property market.  The news can be summarised as follows:

  • An easing of credit markets (possibly the bottom of the “Credit Crunch”)
  • An increase in mortgage lending, albeit from a smaller base
  • More competitive mortgage products
  • A substantial fall ...   more »
View Article  Surveyors report market momentum

Interest from home-buyers is starting to gain "real momentum", although sales remain low, UK surveyors say.

New enquiries in the housing market increased for the fifth consecutive month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) poll found.

However, surveyors were still selling fewer than 10 homes on average each over ...   more »

View Article  Sales of UK country property increasing in some areas

Sales volumes for country property in the UK are increasing in some areas but average prices have now fallen by 20% in the last 12 months, according to research.

Prices for prime country houses dropped on average by 4.7% in the first quarter of 2009, compared with a 9% fall ...   more »

View Article  House prices 'about to start rising' as market reaches bottom

THE housing market may be about to start rising again, economists have predicted.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) says house prices may have less than 10 per cent left to fall before they reach rock bottom, and that purchases were likely to begin to rise over the ...   more »

View Article  Bank keeps interest rates at 0.5%

The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold at 0.5%, in a widely expected move following a number of rate cuts in recent months.

Rates remain at an all-time low after six cuts since October last year, when interest rates stood at 5%.

The Bank is also continuing ...   more »

View Article  Dominic Farrell: The Money Tsunami, Economy And Property Investment Seminar In London‏
Dear Investor,

It’s been a few weeks since my last e-newsletter and from both a business and personal perspective it has been extremely busy. I had lunch at Anfield (thanks Colin, Peter and John), lost some money at Aintree Races (great to see the Patel and Smith families), and went ...   more »

View Article  Lenders still want high deposits

Mortgage lenders are still demanding high deposits from buyers as the number of deals expands.

More than two-thirds of the 1,485 mortgage deals on offer require the customer to put up a deposit of at least 25%, according to Moneyfacts.

This crept up slightly to 68% of home loans on ...   more »

View Article  Tougher home pack rules in force

New rules have come into force which mean home owners must have a home information pack (Hip) in place before putting their property on the market.

Previously, sellers could simply order a Hip before erecting a for-sale sign.

Vendors must also set out extra details such as the home's council ...   more »

View Article  House prices 'drop 1.9% in March'

UK house prices fell by 1.9% in March compared with the previous month, according to the Halifax.

The lender - now part of Lloyds Banking Group - said that conditions in the housing market would remain tough for the rest of the year.

The average UK home now costs £157,226, ...   more »

View Article  G20 call for action amid protests

US President Barack Obama has spoken of a "sense of urgency" needed to confront the global economic crisis.

The President met UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Downing Street ahead of the G20 summit of world leaders.

Mr Brown said the G20 leaders were hours away from agreeing a plan ...   more »