News
Home mover market in UK hits nine year high
The number of home movers in the UK increased by 9% in the first six months of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015, according to the latest research. Some 174,700 people moved up the housing ladder in the first half of the year even although rising house prices mean home movers need a higher level of deposit for their next property, the report from Lloyds Bank reveals. It means that the number of home movers has reached its highest level since 2008 when it was 179,800 over the same six month period. Since hitting a market low of 117,900 in the first half of 2009 the number of buyers moving along the housing ladder has grown by 48%. However, the report points out that the current number of home movers is still at around half the pre-crisis level of 327,600 recorded in the first half of 2007. Housing affordability for second steppers stood at 6.5 times gross annual average earnings in June 2016. On this measure, affordability has improved over the past five years from 7.3 in 2011. The research also shows that most regions of the UK have seen an improvement in Second Stepper affordability since 2011. The largest improvement was in Northern Ireland where this ratio has fallen from 6.2 in 2011 to 4.9 in 2016, followed by the North down from 7.2 to six and Scotland down from 6.6 to 5.6. In contrast, affordability has deteriorated in London from 9.7 to 10.9 and the South East from 8.7 to 9.4. Whilst a mortgage term of 25 years has been the norm for some time, many home movers are increasingly taking out mortgages where payments are spread over a longer period. In the first half of 2011 the proportion of home movers taking up a 25 to 35 year mortgage stood at an average of 9%. The research reveals that for the same period in 2016 this figure had doubled to almost one in five or 18%. Over the same period, the share of mortgages with a 20 to 25 year term dropped from 36% to 29%. Over the past five years, the average price paid by home movers has grown by 38% from £206,997 in 2011, to £261,550 in June 2016, an increase of £78,609, equivalent to a monthly increase of £1,310. In London the average home mover price has grown by 55% since June 2011 to £540,440, the largest increase in the UK. The capital is followed by the South East where home movers now pay on average, £382,324 an increase of 45% in the past five years. By contrast, the average home mover price in Northern Ireland has edged up over the same period by just 2% from £156,764 to £159,326. In the past year the average home mover price has grown by 9% or £24,056 to £285,606. The average deposit put down by a home mover has increased by 32% in the… Continue reading
Record median home prices recorded in four regions in New Zealand
Four regions in New Zealand saw record sale prices in July with the average median value up to $505,000, according to the latest data to be published. It means that the median sale price increased by $5,000, just $1,000 short of the record median price reached in May 2016, the data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand shows. The Waikato/Bay of Plenty region recorded its eighth record median sale price in nine months, reaching $450,000, up 2.7% on June 2016, while the median price in Auckland reached $825,000, up 0.5%. Northland reached $376,000, up 4.4% and Manawatu/Wanganui reached $265,000, up 6.4%. The data also shows that inventory continues to fall rapidly nationwide, with a 33% decline in properties available for sale year on year and six regions seeing falls of greater than 40%. Wellington and Hawke’s Bay each have less than 10 weeks of supply available, with Waikato/Bay of Plenty at just on 10 weeks supply. At the same time, the number of residential dwelling sales for July 2016 was 7,299, a drop of 7% on June. Sales volumes also fell 10% compared to July 2015, with sales for Auckland falling just over 20% compared to July last year. ‘Prices continue to rise in many regions, showing that demand is still firm. Sales volumes remain below previous periods, as the continued shortage of supply impacts buyers, who are struggling to find properties to buy,’ said REINZ spokesperson Bryan Thomson. ‘We will watch market reaction with interest as the expected increase in listing numbers during the spring and summer selling period become available and the market assesses the impact of the recently announced LVR rule changes, the approval or otherwise of the Auckland Unitary Plan and possible interest rate cut,’ he explained. ‘We understand that it must get very confusing for people with so much data available on the real estate market. REINZ data provides the most up to date and complete set of detailed numbers on national sale prices and trends, plus the factors that underpin them. The key thing is to watch the trends over time, and particularly the seasonally adjusted numbers, as they take month on month changes out of the equation and focus on how the market is really moving,’ he added. A breakdown of the figures shows that the national median house price rose $40,000 or 9% to $505,000 from July 2015 to July 2016. Central Otago Lakes recorded the largest percentage increase in median price compared to July 2015, at 32%, followed by Waikato/Bay of Plenty at 26% and Northland at 16%. Auckland prices up, volumes come off, inventory stays tight Compared to July 2015 the median price across the Auckland region rose by $90,000, up 12% to a new record high of $825,000. On a seasonally adjusted basis Auckland's median price rose 1% compared to June. Although sales volumes in the Auckland region fell 8% compared to June, and fell 20% compared to July… Continue reading
Central London office leasing bounces back after referendum vote
The amount of central London office space leased by businesses bounced back from a pre-referendum dip to reach 980,400 square feet in July, according to the latest research. This 24% above the level seen in June and the strongest monthly average since March this year, according to global real estate advisor CBRE. Appetite for London office space was validated by three deals over 50,000 square feet in July, including a major move by Wells Fargo for 220,700 square feet of space in the City of London. The report points out that this move has been widely seen as a vote of confidence from the banking and finance sector after the UK voted to leave the European Union. The sector accounted for 31% of take-up in July, followed by the business services sector at 22% and creative industries at 17%. However, July’s office take-up in central London remained below the 10 year average of 1.1 million square feet per month, but above trend leasing activity in the City and Southbank which CBRE says suggests that businesses still see London as an attractive place to locate. ‘Much has been said about the health of the London office market this year, but clearly demand for office space remains buoyant. Businesses are still confident about London’s significant advantages as a global business centre, even when the UK is outside the EU. This continued demand, mostly driven by key lease events, in a market with low supply, is maintaining headline rents at the same rate as in May and June,’ said Emma Crawford, head of London Leasing at CBRE. ‘Of course the jump in leasing activity is good news for the market, and whilst this is not universal across all sub-sectors of the London market, even with heightened economic and political uncertainty, longer term prospects remain promising,’ she added. The data also shows that available office space increased by 2% over the month to stand at 13.6 million square feet but remained 7% below the 10 year average, as secondhand, completed and pipeline space continues to enter the market. The development pipeline is strong, but much is pre-let, with 46% of the 5.1 million square feet of space expected to complete before the end of the year already pre-committed to occupiers. Office space under offer fell by 14% over the course of the month to stand at three million square feet as a number of large deals completed. This is 7% above the 10 year average of 2.8 million square feet which CBRE says is another indicator of strong demand. A separate CBRE report shows that rental values across the UK’s commercial property market were steady in July, while capital values fell by 3.3%. But it points out that the fall in capital values was widely expected and pulled year on year growth down to 0.4%. The report explains that heightened economic uncertainty, especially for financial services firms, hit offices in the City of London, shrinking capital values… Continue reading
