Archive

The expected dip in mortgage rates following the Bank of England’s base rate cut continued this week with NatWest’s lowest price...

One key point of difference in the parties’ housing policies during the recent general election campaign was that the Conservative Party...

At last! Well, they say small is beautiful and, if you’re in the property sector right now, you’d better believe it! The...

You have to wonder who is advising Rishi Sunak these days. Months ago, Silverstone must have seemed a terrific venue to hold...

The latest residential market sentiment survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors suggests confidence in the housing market is beginning...

The Conservative Party’s General Election manifesto has committed to resurrecting the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme and temporarily removing Capital...

Stamp Duty reform and first-time buyer support tops the list of what Foxtons would like to see from the next Government. The...

With election day looming, in the first of a series of articles, experts from property services organisation, Leaders Romans Group, offer...

So we’ve been sent the ‘Save The Date’ card - it’s July 4. Now all we need is the invitation to the...

The number of properties purchased using a Help to Buy ISA-backed deposit fell to record lows last year, official data shows. Government...

Help to Buy has been ranked as having the most positive influence on the property market in recent times. Agency comparison website...

The best news for the property sector to come from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget statement came not from any fiscal...

Following the disappointment of his Autmn statement, many property professionals were hoping for a kick-start to property sales in Jeremy Hunt’s...

As the Budget approaches and the housing crisis intensifies, it is important to consider what the Chancellor could – and should...

More than a third of property professionals view the Spring Budget as an opportunity to boost new build and the first-time...

After months of negative messaging and anti-development sentiment, espoused both nationally by the Government, and locally during May’s local election campaigning,...

A lawyer has called for Help to Buy to be resurrected in the Autumn Statement. Paul Sams, head of property at Dutton...

It's emerged that Homes England and HMRC have explored possible fraud within the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme. This formed part of...

The “ticking time bomb” of Help to Buy repayments could be set to explode due to the cost of living crisis,...

Mortgage searches on behalf of borrowers using gifted equity or making a concessionary purchase from a family member rose by 75%...

The Government is facing calls to resurrect the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme. The housing support scheme, which provided a Government-backed...

Trading conditions in the housing market have worsened during this summer, Crest Nicholson has warned. A trading update from the housebuilder said...

After months of negative messaging and anti-development sentiment, espoused both nationally by the Government, and locally during recent local election campaigning,...

Alarm bells are ringing in the new build sales sector after figures have been released by a major house builder. Bellway says...

A mortgage expert has expressed concern about the level of borrowers still taking out high loan-to-value government-backed home loans despite falling...

With the Bank of England’s rate rise to five per cent, soaring rents, and the cost-of-living crisis, now is the time...

Housing policy formation must go beyond electoral cycles, academics have warned. A group of Cambridge University alumni has teamed up to urge...

For just over a decade, the Government has operated ‘Help to Buy’ schemes in England. The first of these, ‘NewBuy’, which...

UK estate agents are split when it comes to their opinion on last week’s Budget, with half concerned about a lack...

It was a busy 2022 for the so-called Bank of Mum and Dad and 2023 could be more manic for parents,...

First-time buyers are persisting with Help to Buy purchases as cut-off-point approaches for the housing support scheme. To be eligible for an...

From first-time buyer support to Stamp Duty changes or just doing nothing at all, there is plenty that agents and property...

I’ve found myself in contemplative mode this week, looking forward to the future and remembering times past. In the immediate future –...

Agents are being trained in how to operate in a ‘normal’ sales market, a senior industry executive has revealed. Gareth Samples, chief...

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has signalled that legislation to allow for further leasehold reform will be included in the next parliamentary...

Lucy Frazer became the 13th Housing Minister to leave the role in the past decade yesterday after she was promoted to...

Higher mortgage rates and the end of Help to Buy has had a “sharp impact” on sales rates, Persimmon has warned. A...

An interest rate drop is top of the new year wish list among property professionals, a survey claims. A webinar poll among...

A fifth of potential borrowers have had their mortgage application rejected over the past 12 months – hitting their hopes of...

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has committed to look into issues with the Building Safety Act after MPs claimed leaseholders and Help to...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will have a go at balancing the nation’s books today and the main thing agents seem to want...

Representatives from homebuilder Barratt and Rightmove are to share tips on how first-time buyers can get on the property ladder in...

The end of the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme coupled with rising mortgage rates and affordability requirements will mean fewer...

The number of homebuyers putting a Help to Buy Isa towards their property purchase looks set to hit a five-year low. The...

In this guest feature, Ben Bailey, CCO at Even, a mortgage lender for first-time buyers launched this year, provides commentary on the end...

Buyers have until 31 October to reserve a new-build and apply for Government-backed finance before the government’s Help to Buy Equity...

With UK interest rates on the rise, following the mini-Budget announcement (now since almost entirely reversed), and several lenders pulling mortgage...

If recent headlines are anything to go by, estate agents and the wider property industry are not just feeling the heavy...

The fallout from Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget, which has spooked the markets and caused the pound to fall to record lows,...

A senior new-build property professional has warned that the Help to Buy scheme will be “sorely missed” by first-time buyers once...

Home hunters are increasingly searching for eco-friendly homes amid concerns about rising energy bills, figures suggest. New data from Legal & General...

From housebuilding to planning laws and stamp duty reform, agents and property professionals were ready with plenty of suggestions for Liz...

Many first-time buyers and homeowners are becoming more cautious of the property market. The cost of living crisis, combined with rising...

Research over recent years has regularly pointed to the Bank of Mum & Dad being one of the UK’s biggest lenders,...

Online agent Griffin Property Co has become the latest brand to partner with Help to Buy-style equity loan provider Proportunity. The partnership...

Independent agent Barrows and Forrester has called for the appointment of a housing tsar for a fixed term as yet another...

A group of mortgage advisers has proposed a range of reforms to reduce barriers to home ownership for first time buyers. The...

Rising house prices have rendered the government’s Help to Buy ISA scheme useless, an analyst claims. The Help to Buy ISA saving...

A third of first-time buyers have had to reduce their budgets as a result of recent interest rate hikes and the...

A developer has converted a 1979s office block into flats which are now being sold as £180,000 to £215,000 work from...

As this is the first Natter back since the Christmas break, I should like to first wish all our readers a...

A company linked to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower is being excluded from the government’s Help to Buy scheme, pending the outcome...

A housebuilding-led mortgage indemnity scheme called Deposit Unlock has now been launched nationally with 17 major developers taking part. Nationwide is the...

Data released by Zoopla suggests that demand for new builds outside London remains above the five year average, but has failed...

Affordability has always been a hot topic when it comes to the property market, and this is doubly true for first-time...

Warwick Estates has revealed the most in-demand features for new-build buyers. The firm has analysed Rightmove data and found that those buying...

Few political policies have such a ring of the past as rent controls - they were last seen in this country...

Zoopla-owned Proptech platform Yourkeys has launched what it calls a first-of-its-kind sales progression service for new-build shared ownership properties. It works like...

Over 55,000 households bought homes through the government’s Help to Buy equity loan scheme in the past financial year - a...

Two prominent estate agencies are amongst those piloting a new financial product that allows aspiring buyers to purchase property with just...

Annual house price growth remains above 10 per cent despite a small monthly dip in July according to the Nationwide. A 0.5...

New research from Zoopla appears to show that buyers typically move further away for larger homes rather than smaller or same-size...

At first sight it’s a tough ask to defend holiday homes when there’s evidence that many who want to buy can’t,...

A new analysis claims Help To Buy has improved building volumes and has not been a drain on taxpayers. The scheme which...

Nationwide Building Society is to become the largest mortgage provider to reintroduce 95 per cent Loan-to-Value home loans without government support.  These...

Over 300,000 new-builds in England have been purchased using the government's Help to Buy Equity Loan since its launch in 2013. Of the...

The land and new homes division of Sequence has signed a deal to offer fully-funded part exchange and home buying services...

For many, the funeral of HRH Prince Philip will be a solemn affair, while for some it will also be a...

Annual house price growth remains strong but it has slowed significantly according to the Nationwide. Prices dropped 0.2 per cent on average...

The deadline to complete the purchase of a home under the current Help to Buy scheme in England has been extended...

The Chancellor is considering extending the stamp duty holiday for a short period according to a newspaper report this morning. The Daily...

Agents and a wide range of property experts have demanded yet more government funds to end the cladding crisis that is...

There’s been a huge focus on both the stamp duty holiday and Help To Buy deadlines at the end of March...

A 10-point ’must have’ list of demands for Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget on March 3 has been issued by NAEA Propertymark. It’s...

The government needs to step in to rescue two valuable property incentives before they expire at the end of March, a...

The stamp duty holiday should be extended to include properties that have exchanged but have yet to complete, a leading accountancy...

There’s no doubt that the property market underwent a tumultuous year in 2020, where efficiency was required more than ever. Since the...

The government has revealed new regional price caps for its revamped Help To Buy Equity Loan scheme, set to operate between...

Zoopla is the first UK property company to launch advertising on Pinterest, the lifestyle picture-centric social media platform. A statement from Zoopla...

The first monthly market monitor to show activity in the housing market tailing off has appeared - and it says momentum...

Recent figures emanating from the mortgage and housing market suggest that – since lockdown was ended in mid-May – transaction levels...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been told to avoid a stamp duty holiday cliff-edge next March at any price - because it...

The only certainty at the moment is ongoing uncertainty. It’s something we’ve got used to in 2020, but it’s still not...

Government leaks to mainstream and building trade media suggest the controversial Help To Buy scheme will be extended beyond its end-of-2020 deadline. An...

Hello and welcome to another week. We’re more than aware that it’s a challenging time for our industry as for most...

An industry analyst is challenging the long-established agents’ view that reducing or temporarily scrapping stamp duty would help the market. On the...

A prominent tax specialist has suggested that stamp duty cuts would not help improve the housing market, despite many agents suggesting...

Buyer demand for new-build property has bounced back 66 per cent in the six weeks since the resumption of the housing...

There’s been a big rise in demand for new-builds since the lockdown according to figures from Knight Frank - but the...

Online sector veterans Russell Quirk and Kenny Bruce have used social media to call for a temporary scrapping of all stamp...