Tag Archives: real estate
London prime property rent rises set to outpace house growth in 2015
London prime property prices are expected to grow by 3% to 5% in 2015 but strong tenant demand is expected to boost rental prices by 10% over the next year, the latest forecast suggests. Uncertainty over the outcome of the general election is likely to boost the corporate lettings sector in particular and London property prices will ease into a slower rate of growth, according to estate agent Marsh & Parsons. They expect prime London house prices to rise up to 5% in 2015, compared to the 11.4% increase witnessed over the past 12 months. Annual growth is forecast to be strongest in outer prime London where typical house prices are 25% lower than across prime London as a whole, fuelling higher demand. But in the most expensive prime central areas of the capital, prices will climb by 3%. Marsh & Parsons expects the feel good factor to remain into 2015 for sellers and with mortgage rates as competitive as ever, it is also continues to represent a good opportunity for buyers too. ‘The London housing market gave a stellar performance in the first half of 2014, but there won’t be quite the same encore next year. However, the curtain certainly isn’t going down on price growth. After touching the brakes in recent months, property values will continue to climb steadily again in 2015, albeit at a more modest and orderly pace,’ said Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of Marsh & Parsons. ‘Demand for prime London property remains stable, and after adapting to the mortgage market reform (MMR) changes and tighter affordability measures introduced this year, buyers are more motivated than ever, maintaining sales momentum and ensuring that property prices will not stand idle,’ he explained. ‘The general election will act to stimulate the market, removing much uncertainty and drawing a line under any hesitation from buyers and sellers, but this isn’t to say that the first five months of the year will be a write off as London won’t stop working,’ he added. Marsh & Parsons expects more vigorous growth in prime London rents, forecasting increases of 10% throughout 2015. The firm points out that following a period of largely stagnant rental prices, rents in prime London have climbed steadily during 2014, and the pace of growth will pick up over the next 12 months. Corporate tenancies have grown 14% in 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, and burgeoning demand for corporate lettings and relocations will ensure continued expansion of this sector next year. ‘The rental market will be where much of the action takes place in 2015. Those relocating to the capital for work are now biding their time before purchasing their own portion of London property, until question marks surrounding additional property taxes are erased,’ said Rollings. ‘This will push demand in the corporate lettings sector even further, and the biggest rental increases are predicted to be among one or… Continue reading
Kenya Real Estate Market Review
Kenya’s Real Estate Market is easy to confuse investors. People following the rule of demand and supply believe that the Real Estate Market in Kenya is still strong and has a long way to go. Well sometimes things are not … Continue reading
House developers looking outside London for land
Over the last six months, there has been a shift in direction of the residential development land market in the UK and urban locations with London links are increasingly being sought by developers, new research suggests. Developers are looking for opportunities beyond London as the capital city has seen much slower growth in land prices over the six months to September than the previous half year, according to the research from real estate firm Savills. Values for residential land in London rose by 4.1% from the first quarter to the third quarter of this year compared to 15.2% in the six months to March 2014. The slower increase in the value of residential land follows the cooling housing market in the capital over the same period. Sites with good transport links across all zones however are still highly sought after. The main flow of this movement is the south western corridor from London out to commuter hotspots, Guildford, Woking and Farnborough, according to the report. London based developers as well as those from other regions are interested in investing in the area. Values for urban land in Guildford and Woking are amongst the highest outside London, but despite this they have seen steady growth of 2.4% over the last quarter and 5.5% in the last year. Other cities have seen the influence of developers investing in land from London. An example is Manchester which two years ago only saw regional interest. Development land in Manchester has seen growth for the second quarter in a row after six years of stagnation. Many parties are now interested in land in and around the city although access to finance remains a potential barrier to delivery of homes. Urban land has seen stronger growth in the last quarter having previously lagged behind the growth seen for green field development land since the downturn. Along with Manchester, places in the Midlands, such as Northampton, Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, have stood out as having seen strong growth in urban values, into double digit percentage figures in some cases, indicating that the market has picked up again. Further south, Cambridge has seen increased growth in urban land values along with a large volume of development in recent years. The report points out that here development is supported by a strong and growing local economy, a significant London commuter base and its vibrant historic centre. Construction on urban extensions in Cambridge began at the end of 2011, and an additional 5,000 units will be built in and around the city in the next five years. Sales rates here have been the highest in the country outside London, indicating a strong demand for property. However, not all of the UK is seeing land value increase and in many places land values have remained stable, particularly where there has been high supply of consented land. One example is Telford, where there has been a high supply of sites controlled by the HCA. Continue reading
