Tag Archives: guides
Latest index figures show Spanish property prices are stable, but rents down
Average residential property prices in Spain have remained stable, rising 0.1% in April compared to a year ago, according to the latest index data to be published. But the April increase is more moderate than the year on year growth recorded in March and February at 0.8% and 2.1% respectively, the data from real estate appraisal firm Tinsa shows. However the figures also show that between January and April, house prices have accumulated an average increase of 1.9% and compared to the peak of the market in 2007 they are down 41.1%, a level similar to the summer of 2003. A breakdown of the figures show that the biggest year on year price increase was on the Mediterranean Coast with growth of 4.4%. Prices in metropolitan regions were unchanged year on year and in large cities they were down 0.2%. The Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, where prices have been rising, saw a fall of 0.4% and the other municipalities group recorded a fall of 0.9% but this group had the biggest increase in prices between January and April at 3.8%. Another set of figures show that compared with the end of 2015 prices are up more substantially, with growth of 3.8% in other municipalities in the first quarter of 2016, up 2.9% in the Balearic and Canary Islands, up 2.7% on the Mediterranean coast, up 1.1% in metropolitan areas and up 0.7% in large cities. While prices are down overall by 41.1% comparted to the peak of the market, this decline varies according to location. It is down 30.6% in the Balearic and Canary Islands, down 35.8% in other municipalities, down 46.7% on the Mediterranean coast, down 45% in large cities and down 44.4% in metropolitan areas. Separate figures from the National Statistics Institute show that average rents in Spain were down 0.1% in April year on year. It means that rents have now fallen for 37 months in a row. But the latest decline is more moderate than the 0.2% recorded in March while for the first four months of the year rents are up 0.1% and there is regional variations. Rents in Galicia increased by 0.4%, were up 0.3% in the Balearic Islands, up 0.2% in Navarre, Murcia, Andalucia, Catalonia and Melilla, but were unchanged in Cantabria. But a number of regions saw declines, including a fall of 1.9% in La Rioja, down 0.6% in Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura and the Basque Country. Madrid record rental fall of 0.5%, while rents were down 0.3% in Asturias, by 0.2% in Aragón and Ceuta and by 0.1% in Valencia and the Canary Islands. Continue reading
UK landlords looking for cheaper properties due to stamp duty surcharge
Landlords in the UK are looking for cheaper properties in response to the new 3% stamp duty charge on additional homes, according to the latest lettings index to be published. Average price paid by investors in April fell by 8.3% month on month, from £194,000 to 178,000 and London saw the biggest change in behaviour with landlords buying homes costing 16.4% less than the previous month. At the same time, the number of homes sold to first time buyers increased by 19% between April 2015 and April 2015, while the number of homes bought by landlords halved, the data from the Countrywide Lettings index shows. It also reveals that average UK rental growth continued to slow. The rise of 2% in April was less than half the 4.7% recorded in April 2015. London saw the biggest fall in average price paid, down from £436,000 in March to £365,000 in April. While overall house prices in London rose 13.9% over the last year, the capital’s landlords paid an average of 8.2% less than they did in April 2015. However, generally lower priced markets saw a less marked response from landlords with average prices paid by investors rising month on month in the North East and Yorkshire. April also saw fewer landlords purchasing homes, after a spike in activity in the first three months of the year. Landlords rushed to complete on their purchases before 01 April to avoid a bigger stamp duty bill with 61% more landlords buying in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the first quarter of 2015. The report points out that many sales which would otherwise have normally completed in April were pulled forward into March. Around half the number of landlords bought in April 2016 compared to April 2015. The number of sales to first time buyers rose by 19% over the same period. Average rents increased 2% over the last year, leaving the average monthly UK rent at £932. Rental growth is now half the rate it was in 2015 and the report suggests that affordability constraints and the increase in the number of homes coming onto the rental market continues to slow rental growth. ‘April’s fall off in investor activity seems to be the consequence of landlords bringing forward purchases to beat the stamp duty deadline. Rather than being dissuaded by the new 3% charge it seems that landlords are already adjusting their behaviour. In response to the extra purchasing costs many are choosing to buy cheaper homes that offer a higher yield and of course a lower stamp duty bill,’ said Johnny Morris, research director at Countrywide. ‘There’s early signs that first time buyer numbers are increasing in as investor activity has declined. But it’s too early to tell whether this is simply the after effects of the stamp duty rush or the start of a longer term trend,’ he added. Continue reading
UK housing sales set to jump by a fifth by 2020,
The number of property transactions in the UK could rise by over a fifth in five years to reach almost 1.5 million in 2020, according to new research. This will happen if first time buyers are given greater access to high loan to value lending, says the study commissioned by mover conveyancing services My Home Move. The increase in annual property transaction figures from the 1.23 million recorded in 2015 to the projected 1.49 million in 2020, a rise of 21.1%, is based on an econometric forecast of property transaction volumes. This includes a 6.6% rise in property sales in 2016, compared to 2015. The independent research uses a forecast model that draws on the historic relationship between property transactions and three variables that have had the greatest impact on property turnover: average mortgage rates, unemployment figures and the average first time buyer percentage deposit. The forecast of transaction levels is based on the OBR prediction for unemployment which is expected to fall slightly to 5.0% this year before rising slightly to 5.3% by 2020 and the OBR prediction for Bank Rate which is expected to rise gradually from early 2018 to reach 1.0% by the end of 2020. As part of the research, the average percentage deposit for first time buyers has been independently forecasted. This has been modelled to fall from the current 17.1% to 10% by late 2019 as more high LTV mortgage products come onto the market helping to make homeownership more affordable. As property transactions provide one of the most important measures of the overall health of the UK’s housing market, the research highlights a positive future for the market as transactions are set to advance strongly. ‘Although house prices have improved since the economic crash, property transaction levels, which are a key indicator of market health, are yet to return to their peak of 2007,’ said Doug Crawford, chief executive officer of My Home Move. ‘This report highlights the critical importance of unlocking access to high loan to value mortgage products for first time buyers, if we are to see transaction volumes grow and the health of the market remain,’ he explained. ‘The forecast shows that the number of home purchases could see a dramatic improvement if access to home ownership for first time buyers is nurtured. In particular, we need more lending to those with smaller deposits so that average deposit sizes for first time buyers fall to 10%,’ he pointed out. ‘However, reaching this would require a coordinated effort from across the industry sooner rather than later from house builders to ensure the supply is there, from lenders to provide the high loan to value lending that first time buyers depend on, and from those of us who support first time buyers with their purchase to ensure that buying a home is as easy as it can be,’ he added. ‘It couldn’t be clearer how important first time buyers are in… Continue reading
