Investment
Premium properties selling well in Scotland, but prices are down
Premium property sales in Edinburgh increased year on year in January, but the average sale prices was down, according to new research on the Scottish residential market. Across Scotland, 535 premium properties were sold in January, up from 494 a year ago. A total of 5,330 mainstream market properties under £300,000 were sold in January, up from 4,144 in January 2015. The average value of a house in Scotland in January was £163,610, down from £166,682 in January 2015. A total of 148 properties over £300,000 were registered as sold in the Scottish capital in the first month of the year, up from 131 in 2015, 136 in 2014 and 109 in 2013, the data from estate agency Strutt & Parker shows. Indeed the average sale price in January was £227,899, down from £236,696 in January 2015 and the premium market share, that is the percentage of all sales that were greater than £300,000, was 21.1%, down from 23.9% in January last year and the 40% recorded in March at the height of the sales rush before the introduction of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. ‘It is very encouraging to note that registered sales are up year on year. The average price is down but by a relatively insignificant amount and it is not something I am worried about. In many respects the sales market is still adjusting to the unprecedented rush of premium sales before the introduction of LBTT last year, which saw record numbers of premium sales and the average price in Edinburgh spike at £320,257,’ said Blair Stewart, partner in Strutt & Parker's Edinburgh office. He pointed out that looking back at 2015, the value of Scottish property sales increased 8.2% on 2014 and the number of transactions was up by 4.5%. Edinburgh sales in particular were up 8.3% to 11,991, which was largely a reflection of the LBTT effect. ‘LBTT aside, however, the Edinburgh premium market has grown steadily in recent years from the lows seen in 2009. It has shown strength in the early months of 2016 and we have some very exciting new properties on our books so I am reasonably optimistic about where we are,’ added Stewart. In the market area covered by Highland Local Authority, premium sales in January numbered 18, down from 37 in December and 25 in November, but up from 12 in January 2015, 13 in January 2014. The premium market share stood at 7.9% in January, down from the 10.9% high recorded in March. In Aberdeenshire premium sales registered in January at 42 were down on the same month a year ago when 61 such sales took place. This cooling contrasted with a strong finish at the end of 2015 which saw 122 and 120 premium sales respectively in November and December. The data average property price in Aberdeenshire in January was £203,329, down from £229,476 at the start of 2015. According to David Strang-Steel, partner in Strutt & Parker's Banchory… Continue reading
Buy to let surge results in house price growth doubling in England and Wales last month
House price growth in England doubled in February compared to the previous month and was led by a surge in buy to let sales due to the new stamp duty surcharge due to come into effect in April. Average property prices increased by 0.8% or £2,277 on a monthly basis and demand from landlords and second home buyers contributed to a 12% month on month rise in sales. The data from the latest Your Move index also shows that average prices were up 6.2% year on year, but this drops to 4.6% in London and the South East are excluded. It rakes the average house price to £289,229. London house prices rose 6.8% or £36,903 in the past year, taking the average price to £582,783 and exceeding the average Londoner’s £35,333 annual salary. Hull’s house price rise of 0.9% in a month to hit new record of £111,409, boosted by new jobs and City of Culture status. Meanwhile, the strongest sales were in Sandbanks, with property purchases in Poole up 21% year on year due to demand for luxury flats with views over Poole Harbour and Sandbanks. The report suggests that wealthy buyers are seeking to avoid the additional stamp duty surcharge and property prices have also risen as a result, up 11.6% over the year, as affluent buyers place a premium on luxury homes by the sea. ‘Growth could be as a result of buy to let investors rushing to complete quickly to avoid April’s additional 3% Stamp Duty surcharge, which has also seen sales shoot up 11.8% since January,’ said Richard Sexton, director of e.surv chartered surveyors. He believes that February’s house price growth is fantastic news for home owners, particularly those considering cashing in on the additional demand and making the most of the current sellers’ market. ‘Typical property values are now £16,866 higher year on year, the fastest annual growth rate seen in eleven months, driven by the gulf in the number of aspiring home buyers, compared to the limited supply of homes for sale,’ Sexton added. The index figures reveal that the East of England is outranking London with the fastest growing property prices of all regions, with a 7.2% uplift in the last 12 months. ‘This pace is being fuelled by commuter towns, as London’s workers search for more affordable housing. The trend towards higher house price growth in cheaper areas can also be seen elsewhere,’ Sexton explained. He also pointed out that while house prices in Yorkshire and Humberside have remained flat on a monthly basis, property values in the City of Kingston upon Hull have hit a new record of £111,409, up 0.9% compared to the previous month, as the city has one of the lowest average home values in the country. ‘The upswing in Hull’s home values is due to the increase in new jobs resulting in more demand, with major firms including Samsung lifting employment in the city. Recently winning City of Culture 2017… Continue reading
London’s prime property market likely to be attractive regardless of EU vote
The prime property market in London is likely to retain its attractiveness to wealthy international buyers regardless of what happens in the forthcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union. However, prices may soften after April as there has been a demand from buyers of second homes to complete before a new 3% stamp duty surcharge comes into force on 01 April, according to independent property buying agency Black Brick. However, one immediate impact of the prospect of a Brexit, the term coined for the UK leaving the EU, has been to hit sterling. Camilla Dell, managing partner at Black Brick pointed out that between the end of 2015 and late February, UK currency lost 6% against the dollar and, over 18 months, the currency has slid almost 20% against the greenback. ‘This serves to make UK property more attractive to dollar based buyers. As is so often the case, opportunity is the other side of the coin to crisis and, if you add currency moves to the 7% to 7.5% falls we've seen in prices in Knightsbridge, for example, then prices are more than a quarter lower in dollar terms than they were 18 months ago. It's certainly tempting some overseas buyers back into the market,’ she explained. ‘London is going to retain its attractiveness to wealthy international buyers regardless of whether the UK remains in the EU. Its cultural attractions, geographic location, legal system, and concentration of talent mean that there will always be demand for prime central London property,’ said Dell. The firm has seen that with just weeks to go before the introduction of a 3% hike in stamp duty payable on buy to let and second home acquisitions there is a rush among buyers to complete transactions before 01 April. ‘Certainly, for buyers who have had offers accepted, or who have exchanged, there's still time and obvious motivation to get deals signed and sealed before the tax rise. However, we should sound a note of warning as people yet to find the right buy to let investment should weigh up the costs and benefits of trying to rush through deals this late in the day,’ Dell explained. ‘We have seen cases of vendors seeking premiums in exchange for getting transactions done before 01 April, premiums that, in some cases, substantially erode the tax benefit involved. It's also worth bearing in mind that, as with previous increases in stamp duty, we expect this latest rise will feed through into asking prices and would expect prices for buy to let properties to soften after 01 April, as vendors' expectations align themselves with the yields demanded by investors,’ she added. Continue reading
