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Pre-election jitters saw UK asking prices fall by 0.1% in May
There was an unseasonal drop in new seller asking prices in the UK in May, down by 0.1%, and the first fall in the month of May for five years, the latest index shows. This means that the average price of a home fell to £285,891 but prices are still up 2.5% compared to a year ago, although this annual rise is down from 4.7% in April, according to the latest date from Rightmove. The firm suggests that some sellers coming to market were forced to price more aggressively due to buyer uncertainty over the general election outcome so the fall was very much a short term one and asking prices are expected to bounce back again. ‘The unexpected outcome of a majority government has released the brakes on buyer confidence and activity, and will exert some upwards price pressure in the coming months,’ said Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst. He explained that the new government faces the long term challenge of delivering on an election promise to build 275,000 new affordable homes in the term of the current parliament. And he pointed out that the current shortage of suitable property for sale, meant that even the election uncertainty only caused prices to drop in three out of the 10 regions, London, which would have been hit hardest by mansion tax, the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber. He also warned that sellers who think they have the upper hand due to the lack of property for sale should be aware that a surge of new competition could be on the way, giving buyers some extra negotiating power. In the three months after the May 2010 election there was a 17% jump in the number of properties coming to market compared to the previous quarter. With a majority government in power and record spring traffic on Rightmove, early indications from estate agents suggest that the next quarter could see another surge in property coming to market. ‘Buyers should note that there is often a surge of property supply after an election, as those who have held off coming to market decide to take the plunge. Many potential sellers may have held back expecting a period of hung parliament uncertainty, but they could now decide to catch the late spring market,’ said Shipside. ‘ In a traditional tight stock market an increase in supply of available property and greater competition among sellers to attract buyers may moderate their price expectations and make them more open to an offer,’ he explained. ‘The previous election saw jumps in new seller numbers in all regions of the country, with London and Wales leading the way with over 20% more properties coming to market. There may be a window for buyers to act now in this late spring market before prices rise in the next few months,’ he added. Continue reading
Average house prices in British seaside towns up by a third since 2005
House prices have increased, on average, by a third across British seaside towns over the past decade, according to the latest research. Prices are up by 31% or £49,207, equivalent to £410 per month, from £159,522 to £208,729, the data from UK lender the Halifax shows. However, there is a marked north/south divide in property values in seaside towns, with all 10 of the most expensive seaside towns in southern England, and seven in the south west alone. Salcombe at £672,874 in Devon and Sandbanks at £614,726 in Dorset are the two most expensive seaside towns in Great Britain and both are in the south west. Outside this region the most expensive seaside towns are Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast with an average price of £413,393, Lymington in the New Forest at £404,781 and East Wittering in West Sussex at £330,146. Outside southern England, the most expensive seaside areas are the Scottish towns of St. Andrews at £294,586, North Berwick at £294,076 and Stonehaven at £243,741 while in Wales the most expensive is the Mumbles at £271,349. The biggest house price rises in the average price of seaside towns over the past decade were all recorded in Scotland. Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire recorded the largest rise, with a 109% increase in property values from £63,540 in 2005 to £132,920 in 2015. Lerwick in the Shetlands and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire saw the next largest rises both 102%. A further 15 coastal towns out of a total of 59 surveyed have recorded price increases of at least 50% since 2005. Partly due to the substantial rises in the top performing towns, the average house price in Scotland's seaside towns rose by 38% between 2005 and 2014, exceeding the 31% increase for Great Britain as a whole. Newtonhill saw the largest house price increase over the last year, going from £199,902 in 2013 to £240,899 in 2014, a rise of 21%, followed by Dalgety Bay at 16% and Macduff at 15%. The research also shows an east/west divide in house prices in Scottish seaside towns, with nine of the 10 most expensive seaside towns being located on the eastern coastline while all of the 10 least expensive seaside towns are in western Scotland. Port Bannantyne is the most inexpensive in Scotland with an average price of £73,539. Outside Scotland, the biggest increase in average prices during the last 10 years was recorded in Salcombe with growth of 69%, followed by Workington in Cumbria up 60% and Brighton up 58%. House prices have continued to increase in several seaside towns over the past year. Newtonhill in Aberdeenshire and Shoreham by the Sea recorded the largest average price growth in the last 12 months, with increases of 20%, four times the average increase for all seaside towns in the past year which was 5%. The next biggest price rises were in Sandwich in Kent and Watchet in Somerset, both with year on year growth of 18%, followed by Seaton on the… Continue reading
UK spending on home maintenance at highest since 2008
Household spending on DIY in the UK reached £5.5 billion in 2014, a rise of 10% to reach the highest levels since 2008, new research shows. Meanwhile, total spending on home maintenance, that is DIY and tradesmen's services, increased by 8% to £6.9 billion in 2014, according to the study from Lloyds Bank. The £5.5 billion spent on DIY in 2014 was equivalent to around £200 per household. Whilst this was the highest annual total for six years, it was still 19% below the peak of £6.8 billion and 9% lower than a decade ago when it was £6.1 billion. Spending on tools and equipment for home improvements, ranging from plumbing tools to lawnmowers, increased by 9% from £4 billion in 2013 to £4.4 billion in 2014. Real spending on DIY materials rose by 10% from £1 billion to £1.1 billion. However, there is little change in spending on tradesmen Expenditure on tradesmen's services, at £1.4 billion, increased very slightly by 1% between 2013 and 2014. This means that for every £1 spent on tradesmen some £3.92 is spent on DIY tools and materials, showing how important DIY is to UK households. Total spending on home maintenance increased by 8% to £6.9 billion in 2014 from £6.4 billion in 2013. This was the third successive annual increase, taking overall spending on home maintenance to its highest level since 2008 when it was £7.2 billion. This decline has been entirely due to a fall in expenditure on materials, which declined by 35% over the decade. In contrast, spending on tradesmen’s services rose by 20% whilst spending on tools in 2014 was at the same level as in 2004. The reports says that the past 10 years have demonstrated how spending on home maintenance has a strong link to the performance of the housing market. Spending reduced by around 36% between the height of the housing market in 2007 when it was £8.3 billion, and the bottom of the market in 2011 when it was £6.1 billion. Then, as the housing market picked up between 2011 and 2014, spending on DIY increased by 13% again to bring home maintenance spending closer to 2004 levels. ‘The latest figures provide further evidence that people are continuing to increase their spending on DIY and home improvements as the economy and housing market pick up, with DIY spending increasing by 10% in the last year,’ said Andy Hulme, Lloyds Bank mortgages director. ‘This followed a sharp fall in spending between 2007 and 2011, which reflected the worst of the economic and housing downturns during this period,’ he added. Continue reading
