Tag Archives: real estate
Over a quarter of prospective UK buyers not confident about mortgage applications
Some 28% of prospective buyers in the UK aren't confident their mortgage application will be approved first time and it is even lower among first time buyers, new research has found. Although 27% plan to seek professional advice, 32% have not yet taken any steps to raise their chances of mortgage approval, according to a new mortgage approval confidence index from Unbiased, an online financial advisor. Out of a possible 10 points, confidence among prospective homebuyers sits at 5.7, however, the research reveals that both confidence and success can be greatly improved through taking professional mortgage advice from an independent financial adviser, with 81% of advised applications being approved first time. The research suggests that 32% of UK adults are currently planning to buy a property, but 28% of those who plan to fund their purchase with a mortgage are not confident their first application will be approved. This figure rises to 38% among first time buyers. Many lenders have recently cut their mortgage rates, which is encouraging for prospective buyers, but the research shows these people are pessimistic about their chances of securing a loan, yet are doing very little to address this. The most common steps taken to improve the chances of mortgage success are checking credit rating (28%) and making a detailed analysis of all outgoings (25%), but 32% of prospective mortgage applicants say they have taken no action at all in this area. Although only 19% of prospective mortgage applicants say they have already consulted a professional financial adviser for help with their mortgage application, a further 27% say they plan to do so. Although first time buyers are less likely than other homebuyers to seek professional mortgage advice, many apparently come to appreciate the benefits of having help with their application. Mortgage advisers say people moving home make up 37% of their client base, compared to just 26% who are first time buyers. Overall, one in five potential buyers who seek advice from a professional mortgage adviser, do so after having had their initial non-advised application rejected. Men rank higher on the mortgage confidence index than women at six compared to 5.3, with 66% of men stating they are confident compared to 50% of women. Men are also more likely to have taken action to improve their situation, as 73% have already taken some steps compared to just 60% of women. Only 21% of women who plan to buy a property with a mortgage say they intend to reduce their spending to increase their chances of having their application approved, 40% have not done anything at all so far, and 33% say they don't plan to take any steps to improve their chances of success. ‘I's great that so many people are looking to get on the property ladder, and the recent spate of good deals from mortgage providers means this figure is likely to rise even higher. Having a concrete goal in mind such as… Continue reading
Average house prices in Scotland reach new peak with 1% monthly rise
Average house prices in Scotland increased by 1% or £1,600 in January, surpassing the May 2008 peak, according to the latest index data. Year on year prices are up 4.5%, taking the average home price to £166,771, a new record, but sales were down 44% compared to December, double the typical seasonal downturn. It means that the average home in Scotland is now worth £1,238 more than at the peak of the housing boom in May 2008, following the most significant monthly upswing for seven months, says the report from Your Move. Dundee saw the biggest prices jump with property prices increasing 6.7% or £8,161, while Fife and West Lothian set new peak house prices with growth of 9.5% and 10.9% respectively. North Ayrshire has experienced the biggest rise in house prices on the mainland over the last year, up 11.6% with the typical price of a detached home growing from £180,000 to £210,000 in the past 12 months. However, average prices have fallen in seven local authorities of Scotland during the past year. West Dunbartonshire has seen the steepest drop in values in the last 12 months, with prices falling 7.2% on average, and flats in the area are now worth £20,000 less than a year ago. In addition, completed house sales in January 2015 were down 44% on December levels, double the usual seasonal downturn, and a 14% fall on a year ago, as home sales drop to the lowest level for 23 months. ‘This shouldn’t be viewed as a bad omen though, as the start of the year is always the slowest time for house purchases in Scotland, and it will only get busier, as the sustained flow of front-end demand flooding into the market starts to translate into end results,’ said Christine Campbell, regional managing director of Your Move. The Scottish housing market is benefitting from the economy moving in the right direction, and employment on the up, while mortgage rates are at rock bottom, according to Campbell. She pointed out that next month’s Land and Buildings Transaction Tax will offer some extra relief to those clambering onto the bottom rungs of the ladder, lowering the stamp duty paid on purchases even further. ‘Greater policy clarity that will emerge after the general election will unleash a new wave of confidence that will outweigh any hesitancy in the market at the moment,’ she added. Continue reading
Property stamp duty revenues up over 20% in England and Wales
Stamp duty revenues in England and Wales raised on residential properties are projected to have risen by over 20% in 2014/2015 to a record £8 billion, according to new research. Three quarters of all home buyers are liable to pay stamp duty, ranging from nearly all sales in London to around half in northern England and Wales, says the study from the Halifax. London’s share of all revenue raised in the UK increased from 28% in 2006/2007 to 42% in 2013/2014 and two thirds of all first time buyer purchases in London are above £250,000 compared with only 1% to 2% in many regions. The research also suggests that there is no evidence so far of a dampening in activity at the very top end of the market following the recent reform of stamp duty. The Halifax estimates that the increase in revenues from stamp duty on residential sales from £6.45 billion in 2013/2014 to a record £8 billion comfortably exceeds the previous high of £6.68 billion at the peak of the last housing market boom in 2007/2008. This is more than a 15 times as much as the £520 million raised by residential stamp duty 20 years ago’ in 1994/1995. Under the new progressive structure of stamp duty introduced at the beginning of December 2014, no tax is paid on any of the value of a property below the starting threshold of £125,000. Above the first threshold, tax is charged at the relevant rate on the amount by which the selling price exceeds the threshold. This is continued through the various thresholds to the top rate. Based on the current average house price in England and Wales of£259,708, a typical home buyer pays a total of £2,985 in stamp duty. Under the old flat structure, a buyer paying this price would have been subject to stamp duty payments of £7,791, a saving of £4,806. In all regions, buyers are often making large savings. In cash terms the largest savings are in London at £4,830 and the South East at £3,843. The ‘tipping point’ price is £938,000, at which point the buyer is worse off under the new structure. The Halifax says that while it remains very early days, so far there are no signs of any marked changes in behaviour as a result of the changes made to stamp duty at the start of December. Indeed, the proportions of all sales in each of the bandings in December 2014 and January 2015 are almost identical to those in the preceding three months of September to November 2014. This equally applies at the top end of the market where the proportion of sales in London above £925,000 is unchanged at 9%, suggesting that the increase in stamp duty on such sales is not significantly deterring purchases in this market segment. Continue reading
