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
UK house prices predicted to rise by 6% in first quarter of 2015
UK house prices are predicted to rise by up to 6% in the first quarter of 2015 but then start slowing as the May general election approaches, according to one forecast. Prices could even start to drop by around 2% in the last half of the year and it could be a worse scenario if the current opposition Labour party wins, says the prediction report from low cost online estate agents Hatched. Hatched also predicts growth to continue at somewhere around 4% to 5% in 2015, whilst warning home owners to be prepared for a rocky spell around April, May and June, with the uncertainty that a general election inevitably brings. According to Adam Day, the firm’s managing director, a Labour victory in May could potentially have a hugely disruptive effect on the property market as the party is known for surprising voters with unexpected measures and excessive red tape. He pointed out that the last Labour win led to the introduction of Home Information Packs which then had to be scrapped. ‘The way they were introduced wasn't thought through. The government announced the specific date that HIPs were to become a legal requirement, which led to hundreds of thousands of home owners rushing to put their house on the market in an attempt to avoid the cost and bureaucracy associated with their production,’ he explained. ‘It was this slapdash strategy, which consequently led to an oversupply of properties that brought on the beginnings of the crash in 2008,’ he added. Interest rates are also expected to rise in 2015, although for many home owners it will not have a huge impact. But it is likely to affect first time buyers who tend to spend a higher percentage of their income on home costs. However, Hatched expects interest rate rises to be a contributor to the slowdown for the housing market in the final half of the year. Day also expects there to be a significant reduction in high street agents. ‘Many agents will have over staffed themselves this year because it has been so busy, so when the property market does begin to slow in the middle of the year, they will have over extended themselves,’ he suggested. He believes that 2015 will see online estate agencies continue to prosper and traditional agents who decide to join the online revolution and thus respond to customer demand by driving efficiencies with the aim of lowering their fees, should also enjoy success and stand out in a market which is likely to get tougher as the year progresses. Continue reading
UK viewers take just 38 minutes on average to decide to buy a property
On average it takes just 38 minutes to make a decision to buy a home and prospective buyers no longer spend as much time viewing, new research has found. It means that the average home buyer in the UK now spends less time than it takes to play one half of a football match, before making one of the biggest and most expensive decisions of their lives. With the vast amount of property and local information now available online, house hunters no longer need to spend hours viewing properties and interrogating estate agents before deciding on which property is right for them, say the research from online estate agent eMoov.co.uk. Property values, property purchase history, recently sold properties, photos, floor plans, Google street view, school catchment area, transport links, employment opportunities, crime rate, tax band and so much more is available at the click of a mouse. Nearly two thirds of people view a property on two occasions before making an offer to buy with 10% doing so after just one viewing and only 29% returning to a property more than twice. The research reveals women take slightly less time at 38 minutes than men at 39 minutes when viewing a property before deciding to put in an offer. However men were more likely to make a snap decision with 11% of them choosing to put in an offer after just one viewing, compared to 9% for women. The survey found that those spending £500,000 or more on a property did manage to take two minutes longer on average before deciding to buy, probably sensible given the amount of money involved. However it realistically doesn’t matter if you are spending £100,000 or over £500,000, the property price tag is relative to your situation and the research shows that there is only a matter of minutes between making a decision across each price bracket. ‘The fact of the matter is people don’t need to spend as much time on the viewing process as they once did. The reason for this is simple, now when a potential buyer views a house, they are viewing the house and the house only,’ said Russell Quirk, the firm’s chief executive officer. ‘With the internet providing a wealth of information, they already know if a property will suit them from a practical point of view before stepping through the front door. Most potential buyers will know within the first sixty seconds whether or not it is the one for them and the majority of buyers tend to return for a second viewing just to validate their thinking,’ he added. The research found that after one viewing 10% make an offer, 61% do so after two viewings and 29% after three viewings. Some 13% take less than 13% to decide to make an offer, 36% take 15 to 30 minutes and 28% 30 to 45 minutes while 23% take longer. Continue reading
