Tag Archives: shows
Lower end US homes just 10% below 2006 and outperform middle market sector
Lower priced houses in the United States have been outperforming the middle priced market and are now only 10% below their peak values of 2006, a new analysis shows. Middle tier homes, typically selling between $120,000 and $345,000, are the worst performing segment with current price levels 24.8% below 2006 peak levels, according to a new report from real estate firm Clear Capital. It says that this vast difference in market recovery underscores the continued challenges the majority of home owners face, despite a quicker recovery in both the bottom and top segments of the market. Regionally, there was a small uptick in quarterly gains in both the West and Midwest, between 0.3% to 0.1%, while the Northeast and South remained unchanged over the quarter, at 0.2% and 0.8%, respectively. These minimal changes reinforce housing’s continued moderation and suggest the initial thrust of the home buying season is starting to wane, according to Alex Villacorta, vice president of research and analytics at Clear Capital. He pointed out that disparity still exists at the local market level. The Northeast reports the widest gap in price performance between the top and bottom performing areas with Pittsburgh seeing growth of 14.1% year and year and Providence down 14.1%. At the national level, the data through July shows a 0.1% increase in quarterly gains, from 0.6% in June to 0.7% in July. ‘While this minor increase, a carry-over from spring’s performance, is expected as we enter the thick of summer’s peak demand cycle, it reflects the overall contraction from spring’s initial surge,’ said Villacorta. ‘Through the first half of 2015, we observed a housing recovery that is normalising after an impressive price surge from the trough of the market. After more than two years of a pretty remarkable upward swing, the housing market’s correction to the correction has given way to more normal rates of growth,’ he explained. ‘What we now know, however, is that this correctionary period has not treated all markets, nor segments within markets, the same. In the present environment, micro analysis is key. In particular, our latest data exposed a mid-tier lag. This segment is still way behind both the top and bottom of the market in terms of recovery over the last nine years,’ he pointed out. Indeed, the analysis of the change in home prices since the summer of 2006 shows that the middle tier has lagged behind both the upper end and lower ends of the market by a surprisingly wide margin. At 24.8% below its peak level, the middle tier is more than double that of the lower tier. Villacorta said that the lower tier was both hit and buffered by high levels of distressed activity which, in recent years, has sparked investor activity driven in large part by the accelerated demand in the rental sector. And, the top tier has benefited from a segment of the market that is more resilient to the current economic climate. ‘The middle… Continue reading
Survey suggests UK tenants concerned about rent rises due to change of tax regime
Tenants in the UK are concerned about rent rises resulting from the recent decision by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to scrap mortgage tax relief for private sector residential landlords. New research shows that some 38% of tenants are feeling uncertain as to how the cuts will affect them and over 50% are calling for greater rent control measures to be introduced. Indeed 35% of tenants say that they would move to a different property in the event of a rent increase, according to the research from comparison website Makeitcheaper. A breakdown of the survey findings show that just 20% of tenants would stay in their current housing, one in 10 said they would be forced to seek council housing and 17% would be more motivated to buy their own property. These results show that landlords may run a high risk of losing tenants by increasing rent, around 80%, as many would be simply unable to afford a price hike. There are certain rules around rent price increases that landlords must adhere to. For example, landlords cannot raise prices in a fixed term tenancy prior to the end date, without the tenant's agreement. But, even with these precedents in place, there's a good chance that tensions between landlord and tenant could grow in the event of price rises. However, the latest landlord research by buy to let lender Paragon Mortgages has revealed that 75% of landlords are confident their tenants will not get into more difficulty in the next 12 months as rental arrears will remain stable. The lender’s PRS Trends Survey results for the second quarter showed a 4% increase in those landlords who felt tenant rental arrears would remain stable, the third successive improvement. The proportion of landlords reporting an expected increase remained low and unchanged from the previous quarter at 8% whilst those landlords expecting a decline in arrears was 6%. The survey also revealed that 17% of landlords are planning to purchase additional rental properties over the summer quarter. There was little movement in the most popular property types landlords are looking to buy, with terraced properties and semi-detached houses topping the list at 38%, followed by 35% looking to buy apartments. ‘Landlords continue to experience strong tenant demand and are keen to add to their portfolios. The positive signals being picked up elsewhere around the economy also seem to have flowed through to the PRS with landlords experiencing low arrears and low, stable voids,’ said John Heron, director of Paragon Mortgages. Continue reading
Prime central London sales up but still 32% down on a year ago
Sales in the prime central London property market increased by 21% in the second quarter of 2015 compared to the previous quarter but are 32% lower than a year ago, according to the latest quarterly data. Prices have fallen marginally, down 0.6% in the second quarter compared to the first three months of the year, according to the latest prime central London report from real estate firm JLL. But it explains that the sales market continues to show resilience and, although cautious, demand has recovered somewhat since the slump before the general election in May. But the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) reform continues to have an effect on the market and buyers and sellers are still assessing the impact of these changes, particularly in the £5 million to £10 million price range. Meanwhile, the sub £2 million market has been the least affected by the election, SDLT, and mansion tax fears with prices rising 2.2% year on year. ‘While transaction levels remain low, particularly in the £3 million to £7 million sector of the prime central London market, there is undoubtedly a noticeable flight to quality,’ said Richard Barber, sales director at W.A.Ellis, part of the JLL Group . ‘Affordability issues, in the face of increased stamp duty costs, have affected purchaser confidence, but high prices per square foot are still being achieved for the most exclusive properties,’ he added. The prime central London lettings market has seen a rise in demand from tenants, while levels of supply have remained high throughout the second quarter, the report also shows. It says that London’s improved economic conditions are causing a rise in rental values, up 1% compared to the first quarter and 1.5% year on year. Overall, lettings transactions have increased by 4% in the second quarter as election uncertainties resulted in some buyers choosing to rent instead. However transactions are down 8% year on year. ‘There has been an increase in rental stock available, mainly as a result of landlords awaiting the outcome of the general election and deciding now to let instead of sell, and these higher stock levels have meant that competition between landlords has increased with properties in optimal condition letting first,’ said Lucy Morton, letting director and head of agency at W.A.Ellis. ‘This has also meant that the market has become very price sensitive with more people turning to the rental sector after being unable to secure finance or find the right property to buy,’ she added. The report concludes that overall, the outlook for the prime central sales market is one of confidence in light of the stable government and low interest rates, with prices expected to increase by 1.5% during 2015, while the lettings market will see rental values increase by around 3% with more people preferring the flexibility of renting. Continue reading
