April 2006 Archive

Fife and Lanarkshire top for house price growth

House prices rose fastest in Fife and Lanarkshire in the last year

While the rest of the UK property market catches its breath after the boom of the last few years, house prices in central Scotland are still soaring.

£1,000,000,000,000 - The UK's mortgage debt

Britons now own £1,000,000,000,000 on their property

Early next month the total amount of money Britons owe on their homes will pass the £1 trillion (i.e. £1,000 billion) mark.

House price rises take Easter break

Nationwide figures show house prices rose just 0.1 per cent in April

House prices stopped growing in April, new figures from Nationwide reveal.

Parents help 42% of first-time buyers

Parents are helping out first-time buyers [photo:Pixmedia]

More than two first-time buyers in five (42 per cent) receive help from their parents when buying a home, new figures suggest.

Buy-to-let investors snapping up bargains

Buy-to-let investors are snapping up cheap property [photo:Pixmedia]

Last month buy-to-let investors showed their faith in the market by snapping up cheaper properties, new figures reveal.

Locals priced out of rural areas

Local residents often cannot afford to buy homes in rural areas

Rising prices and a lack of available properties mean that local residents are often unable to afford to buy homes in rural areas, a new report finds.

First-time buyers blind to property finances

First-time buyers do not realise the full financial implications of mortgages [photo:Pixmedia]

First-time buyers are oblivious to the full financial implications of owning a home, new figures suggest.

Joint-purchases boost first-time buyers

Buying a home jointly with parents can help first-time buyers

Increasing numbers of parents are buying homes together with their first-time buyer children to give them a boost up the property ladder.

Rich living it up in Wandsworth

Wandsworth is the top location for rich Londoners

Rich Britons are choosing to forgo traditional wealth-centres like Kensington, Chelsea and Mayfair and moving to Wandsworth, new figures show.

Invest in your garden

Spending money on your garden can add thousands to the value of your property

Spending hundreds of pounds on your garden can add thousands of pounds to the value of your property.

Moving fees rise faster than house prices

At the high end of the housing market moving fees have risen faster than house prices

Moving fees have risen by more than double the rate of house prices for some homeowners, research shows.

Another record for mortgage lending

Mortgage lending set a fifth consecutive monthly record in March

Mortgage lending set a new record for March, increasing by 34 per cent on the same month last year, new figures published today show.

Interest-only mortgage take-up doubles

Interest-only mortgages are popular with first-time buyers (photo:Pixmedia)

The number of interest-only mortgages being taken out has doubled over the last four years, as more and more Britons try to get on the property ladder.

Advisers recommend property funds

Many advisers believe commercial property should be 10% of a portfolio

Most advisers in the UK are recommending property funds to their clients on a regular basis, new research shows.

RICS: House prices rise again

House prices rose in March according to surveyors

House prices rose for the fifth month in a row, although the pace of increase has slowed, chartered surveyor estate agents report.

Rightmove: Signs that surge is stalling

The upper end of the market is fuelling house price rises

House prices have hit record levels for the third month in a row, but there are signs that the spring surge could be stalling.

DIY spending up 76% in a decade

Spending on power tools saw the biggest increase

Spending on DIY in the UK has increased by 76 per cent during the last decade, even allowing for increases in prices.

Buying a house replacing marriage

Couples are buying a house instead of marrying to show their love

Britons are displaying their love for each other with mortgages instead of marriages, new figures reveal.

Fixed-rate mortgages get more expensive

Mortgage lenders are increasing the cost of their fixed-rate mortgage deals.

Choosing a mortgage

The UK has one of the most competitive mortgage markets in the world, but with so many companies and products, securing a mortgage can be a confusing.

ODPM: House prices fell in Feb

ODPM figures show falling house prices in February

Government figures show that house prices fell in February.

Discount rate mortgages

A discount rate mortgage is a home loan secured against a property where the cost of repayments is reduced for a fixed term.

Buy to let mortgages

A buy to let mortgage is a loan secured against a property, where the borrower intends the property to be rented to tenants rather than as their residence.