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Home movers in the UK have seen average savings of £5,000 due to stamp duty change
Stamp duty changes have resulted in UK home movers seeing average saving of £5,000 since 2010 but fewer people are moving home, new research has found. The number of people moving house in 2005 stood at 365,000, slightly behind the 366,400 who moved in 2014, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Home Mover Review report. Whilst the 2015 levels are 16% higher than the 2009 market low of 315,800, they are just half of the 2006 peak level of 712,000, the data also shows. Over the past five years the average price paid by home movers has grown by 30% from £210,252 in 2010, to £273,491 in 2015, an increase of £63,239, equivalent to a monthly increase of £1,054. This was a marginally faster rise than the increase in average house prices across the whole market which was 29%. The average deposit put down by a home mover has increased by 22% in the past five years, from £74,649 in 2010 to £91,020 in 2015, equivalent to 33% of the average price paid by home movers. London continues to see stronger growth than the rest of the UK, as average prices paid by home movers in the capital have increased by 51% to £515,004 in the past five years. London home movers have also put down the largest average deposits at £183,353, which is 36% of the average property value. At the other end of the scale, Northern Ireland saw the average price paid by a home mover drop 4% to £157,368, and also the smallest average deposit of £43,380. Stamp duty changes, introduced in December 2014, provided home movers across the UK with a boost by providing buyers with an average saving £4,530 on purchases. The largest savings last year were made by home movers in East Anglia, where someone buying at the average price of £255,028 paid £2,751 in stamp duty fees compared to £7,650 before the change, a difference of £4,899. Buyers in three other regions also made substantial savings of over £2,500. In London the saving was £4,850, in the South West it was £4,654 and in the South East it was £2,767. ‘The 2015 stamp duty changes, low mortgage rates and rising real pay growth, provided more favourable conditions for home movers in 2015, although that hasn’t translated to any increase in numbers,’ said Andrew Mason, Lloyds Bank mortgages director. ‘2015 brought good news to home movers. We might have expected the change to the stamp duty structure to have resulted in a greater numbers. The ongoing increase in house prices throughout the year will have been especially welcomed by those who bought at the peak of house prices, who have been looking to rebuild their equity in order to make their next move,’ he added. The Lloyds Bank Home Mover Review tracks conditions for those who already own a home and is based on data from the Lloyds Banking Group house price database, the Council of Mortgage Lenders,… Continue reading
Family homes sales reached new all-time high in Miami in 2015
Sales of family homes in Miami, one of the most popular US markets with overseas and domestic buyers, set an all-time annual record in 2015. And sales for all existing properties posted the third most transactions in history, according to the latest data from the Miami Association of Realtors. ‘Miami’s strong local jobs market, population increase, historically low mortgage interest rates and South Florida’s continued growth as a world class global region all played key roles in the strong sales. We see many of these factors carrying over to 2016,’ said Mark Sadek, the association’s board chairman. The monthly report also shows that existing single family homes finished 2015 with a median sales price of $265,000, up 8.2% from $245,000 the previous year. The Miami median price for existing condominiums in 2015 was $200,000, an increase of 5.3% from $190,000 in 2014. The median number of days on the market for Miami single family homes fell 4.4% to 43 days in 2015 from 45 days in 2014 and the median number of days on the market for condominiums sold in 2015 was 60 days, a 5.3% increase from 57 days in 2014. In 2015 some 51.8% of sales were to cash buyers which is more than double the national average, but down from 57.2% in 2014. However, Miami’s high percentage of cash sales reflects South Florida’s ability to attract a diverse number of international home buyers, who tend to purchase properties in cash. Condominiums comprise a large portion of Miami’s cash purchases as 65.4 compared to 36.4% of single family home sales. The data also shows that inventory of single family homes decreased 3.5% in 2015 while condominium inventory increased 10.2%. Inventory for Miami single family homes stood at a 5.2 month supply, a 6.8% decrease from 5.6 months in the previous year while for condominiums at the end of 2015 it was 9.5 months, a 13.2% increase from 8.4 months in 2014. Total active listings at the end of 2015 increased 5.4% year on year, from 17,695 to 18,645. Active listings remain about 60% below 2008 levels when sales bottomed. New listings of single family homes increased 0.6% compared to 2014 and for condominiums they increased by 0.6%. Continue reading
A south facing garden doesn’t push up a property’s price, study shows
Despite estate agents and property experts in the UK espousing the benefits of a south facing garden, this is not reflected in the asking price, new research has found. An analysis of property asking prices reveals homes with south facing gardens carry a mere 0.37% premium compared to properties with north facing gardens. South facing gardens have long been touted as desirable because they typically get the sun for most of the day and are therefore thought to be warmer and brighter, but it appears this isn’t reflected in property prices. River views however do carry a higher cost, averaging 9% compared to identical properties located on the same development without this sought after outlook, according to the study commissioned by Direct Line Home Insurance. In one North London development, a three bedroom property with a river view has an asking price of £850,000, some 42% more than an identically proportioned and designed property elsewhere in the development that costs £600,000. The research also reveals that in many cities if you live higher in a new development, you pay a significant premium for the privilege. One developer informed researchers they added a £15,000 premium to the asking price for every floor, bringing new meaning to the phrase ‘sky high’ prices. An apartment on the fourteenth floor of a new London development five minutes from Angel tube station is on the market for £850,000, which is 31% more expensive than an identical property on the third floor. In a new development near London’s Colindale station a one bedroom flat on the fourth floor costs £438,950 while an identical property on the eighth floor is on the market for £475,000. ‘The research highlights that south facing premiums may well be a myth, but a room with a view comes with a hefty price tag. People are prepared to pay thousands more for the same amenities and layout because a property is located higher in a building, has a more scenic vista, or because it overlooks water,’ said Katie Lomas, head of Direct Line Home Insurance. ‘However, while picturesque river views are much admired it is worth noting properties built near water may cost more to insure because of increased flood risk. Purchasers should check the likely cost of insurance before they commit to buy,’ she added. Continue reading
