Tag Archives: real-estate
Middle market set to benefit from new property tax rates for Scotland
Changes to the rate of property tax payable in Scotland from April have been confirmed with the middle sector of the market benefitting. From 01 April under the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) the zero threshold has been raised to £145,000 and other band adjusted. Some 2% will be paid between £145,000 and £250,000, a new band of 5% will apply to properties between £250,001 and £325,000. There is then a jump to 10% for those buying homes between £325,001 and £750,000 and high value properties over £750,001 will be taxed at 12% under the review by Finance Secretary John Swinney. It is disappointing news for buyers and sellers of Scottish homes, according to estate agency Strutt & Parker. It said that while the changes may well boost the market for first time buyers and the lower end of the sector, they are far from offering the hoped for stimulus to the middle of the property market. ‘While LBTT will help first time buyers, the average price of a house in Scotland is £170,000. It has been widely derided as an unfair attack on families and a punitive tax on aspiration, particularly in the affluent centres of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and the changes announced are no better,’ said Andrew Rettie, head of estate agency for Strutt & Parker in Scotland. ‘Strutt & Parker backed the Scottish Conservatives' proposals for the introduction of a mid-tier rate of 5% between £250,001 and £500,000 and we were hopeful that Swinney would introduce something along those lines but while this review offers a concession to the lower end of the market it is a blow to everyone else and a missed opportunity to provide a fillip to the property,’ he pointed out. ‘If families can't upsize because of the increase in tax, they will not sell, leading to a stalemate in the middle of the market, which is really the engine room of a thriving housing sector,’ he explained. The firm is currently very busy at present with buyers and sellers aiming to complete deals before the April deadline. ‘However, once LBTT comes into effect we anticipate buyers will be more cautious in their offers to take account of the heavier tax burden,’ added Rettie. CKD Galbraith, an independent property consultancy, said the changes may have significant implications for the Scottish housing market. ‘There are winners and losers amongst property buyers and sellers,’ said partner John Bound. ‘While there is good news for first time buyers and those at the lower end of the property market, transactions carried out at the mid to higher end will still trigger a significant tax bill. While there are savings for some on what was originally proposed by the Scottish Government there will be increases on what people have been paying to date,’ he explained. ‘This will affect a large section of houses in the Scottish market and overall we estimate that there… Continue reading
Investment in London commercial property market close to last peak in 2007
Investment in central London’s commercial property market reached £20.5 billion in 2014, marginally below the last investment peak in 2007 when £20.6 billion was traded, a new report shows. The huge weight of money flowing into the London real estate investment market from the UK and abroad looks set to continue in 2015 with the level of demand far outstripping the available supply, according to the data from global real estate adviser Cushman & Wakefield. A breakdown of the findings show that investment volumes in the City of London and Docklands reached just over £5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, the highest quarterly volume ever recorded in the market. The report says that the strong end to the year meant that the annual total reached £13.8 billion, which is the second highest on record behind the 2007 peak of £13.9 billion. Indeed, half of all investment volumes in the final quarter were as a result of three transactions in excess of £250 million each, which reflects the annual trend and 48% of all 2014 investment volumes were due to 10 transactions above this threshold. The report points out that increasing numbers of investors and surging volumes of equity are being invested into the City of London market with interest from a wide cross-section of investors, notably the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. It also shows that overseas investors remain the most active in terms of transactional investment volumes accounting for 78% of both the fourth quarter and annual total. Asian investors dominated fourth quarter investment volumes but over the year North American investors have spent the most money in London. However, 2014 witnessed positive net investment from both Asia and the Middle East, while all other regions including the UK disinvested from the capital. Due to exceptional demand, the market yields are being driven down for all investments with prime at 4.25 to 4.5%, albeit several transactions have completed below 4%, notably the Gherkin. ‘We saw a strong City of London investment market in 2014 with international investors dominating acquisitions. The international appeal of London continues with an ever increasing spread of new global investors entering the market and there are no signs of an imminent slowdown,’ said James Crawford, Cushman & Wakefield’s head of City of London investment. ‘Deals from £1 million to £1.2 billion closed during 2014 and capital values hit an all-time high of over £1,400 per square foot at the Gherkin. The first half of 2015 shows all the early signs of a continuation of last year but we expect some profit taking to occur later in the year and uncertainty around the general election in May,’ he explained. ‘We estimate there is £250 billion of liquidity in the market available for direct investment in property and when this is combined with an improving debt market, a severe supply demand mismatch will be created,’ he added. The report also shows that the momentum recorded in… Continue reading
UK asking prices up 1.4% this month, latest index shows
The price of property coming to the market in the UK increased by 1.4% in January at a time of year when prices usually fall, according to the latest index from Rightmove. It takes the average national asking price to £273,275 and means prices have increased by 8.2% in the last 12 months. But it points out that even although the number of properties on sale has increased by 2% this if failing to replenish agents’ historically low stock and currently levels are 10% below the same period last year. Sales activity has been boosted by Stamp Duty savings of up to £1,250 for some first time buyers and average property prices in this sector are down by £1,132 this month. However the firm reckons that despite continued low mortgage and inflation rates, sellers will have to work harder in 2015 than in 2014 due to election jitters and mortgage restrictions. It believes that lenders are selecting buyers who are good risks to lend to, and in turn buyers are very selective with the properties they choose. A closer look at the figures show that prices and activity both cooled in the second half of 2014, though there are signs of a New Year bounce back. More people are looking for property than last year, and more sellers are putting their property up for sale. ‘Early 2015 statistics currently point in the right direction for home movers, with the Chancellor’s Stamp Duty reform perhaps being the spur for people to get on with moving. There are more positive signs of early bird activity rather than pre-election jitters or economic worries deterring prospective movers,’ said Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst. ‘The unseasonably high 1.4% jump in new sellers’ asking prices suggests that there are more rises in the pipeline for the next few months. Early-bird buyers, including trader-uppers, can potentially catch a good deal by getting off the mark quickly in 2015, and get a better pick of the housing crop,’ he explained. Rightmove’s updated House Price Index now tracks typical property prices and supply for the main market sectors, including first time buyers, second steppers and the top of the housing ladder. It says that with the average first time buyer property coming to the market at £163,251, the reform to Stamp Duty announced in the Autumn Statement could mean potential savings of up to £1,250. ‘Should prices rise, as they look set to over the next few months, potential Stamp Duty savings will diminish, but they will still be helpful to first time buyers struggling to save enough to cover the Stamp Duty bill as well as the mortgage deposit,’ said Shipside. ‘First time buyers are in a potential win-win savings window this month with the price of property coming to market in this sector being over £1,100 cheaper, coupled with up to £1,250 in Stamp Duty savings. This is a welcome boost given that the price of property coming to market… Continue reading
