Tag Archives: investment

Survey suggests UK property owners carry out work to create their dream home

British home owners renovate their property for living in for the long term with the majority not doing so to increase the price, new research suggests. Some 67% are planning to stay in their home for over five years and carry out work with the aim of creating their dream home, according to the research by Zopa with kitchens the top target for change. The survey, of over 1,200 people who had taken a Zopa home improvement loan, found that 27% either have had or plan to get their home revalued after renovations, and only 9% said they would need to move to be in their ideal home. So far in 2016, Zopa customers have borrowed over £50 million to improve their homes, a 54% increase on home improvement loans compared to the same period last year. Some 34% used their home improvement loan to revamp their kitchens and, of those who said their homes are not yet perfect, 19% cited a bigger kitchen as top of their wish list. After renovations two out of five people say they are now in their perfect home. Of those who still don’t think their property is perfect, 22% said they would need to move. The most commonly cited areas for improvement were better decoration at 31%, bigger kitchens at 19% and more bedrooms also at 19%. The research also found that the majority, 73%, used professionals to complete their home improvements, with 45% using skilled professionals for the entire job while 13% undertook all the renovations themselves and the same number sourced help from family and friends. Some 77% said they’d be happy to do painting, with 51% ready to take on wallpapering and 32% happy to complete tiling but people were least confident when it came to masonry work at just 6%, bricklaying at 7% and plastering at 10%. The survey also found that 4.2% were considering moving to unlock the increased property value with 98% agreeing that their renovations have added value to their home. Some 27% believed the increase to be worth between £11,416 and £19,027, adding between 6% and 10% to the price while 19.4% said it would be an increase of between £20,930 and £28,541, a 11% to 15% rise in value and 11.4% expected to see an increase in value of over 21%. Continue reading

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Residential property price growth in Australian capital cities slowing

The pace of growth in residential property prices across Australia’s eight capital cities is slowing amid signs that sales momentum is waning, the latest data shows. In the March quarter of 2016 prices were 6.8% than 12 months previously, according to the figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). But this was slower than throughout 2015 when growth averaged 9% per annum. ‘This deceleration is largely being driven by developments in the Sydney residential property market, where annual price growth eased back into single figure territory in March this year. Sydney prices grew at an annual rate of 9.7%, beating the national average, but are also the city’s slowest pace of growth in almost three years,’ said Diwa Hopkins, Housing Industry Association economist. ‘This deceleration in price growth has occurred against a backdrop of waning momentum in property transfers, particularly amongst non-detached housing. The volume of attached dwelling transfers across Australia grew strongly in 2013 and 2014. The volume of transfers was virtually unchanged in 2015 and signs of a pullback in 2016 are now emerging,’ she explained. A breakdown of the figures shows that price growth remained strongest in Melbourne with an increase of 9.8%, followed by Sydney up 9.7%, then Canberra up 4.6, Hobart up 4.2%, Brisbane up 4.1% and Adelaide up 3.1%. In other capital cities prices growth has fallen, led by Darwin with a fall of 4.9% and in Perth prices fell by 4.5% in the year to the March 2016 quarter. Meanwhile, the HIA’s latest bi-annual Housing Scorecard shows that there were over 220,000 dwellings commenced in Australia during 2015, a new annual record. However, there were significant divergences in conditions for residential building around the country. The eastern seaboard states have been the strongest performers, the mining states are sliding down the order, while South Australia and Tasmania are facing the most challenging conditions, according to said HIA economist Geordan Murray. The report shows that there is little to separate the top two ranked states, but it is Victoria that has edged out New South Wales to take the top spot. With nearly 70,000 dwellings commenced in 2015, it is not all that surprising that Victoria was number one, but Victoria also ranked as the strongest market for renovations. Western Australia is off the pace of the top two states, but still ranks third. But Murray pointed out that the high ranking for Western Australia belies the challenging conditions emerging for residential building, as evidenced by nearly 18 months of falling home prices. ‘The state’s overall ranking is propped up by strong performances in indicators of residential building that is already underway. The leading indicators highlight the recent deterioration in conditions and the prospect of weaker conditions ahead, which the HIA has been warning of for a considerable time,’ he explained. He also explained that Queensland is not performing as strongly as Victoria and New South Wales, but the housing recovery is being tempered by the… Continue reading

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Should be business as usual for Brits buying property in the EU

British people seeking to buy a property in the European Union should not be downhearted by the referendum decision that the UK should leave, according to overseas real estate experts. Those who are looking to purchase a holiday home overseas, for example, are likely to see that owning a property in the EU will only be marginally more complex than it is currently, according to Andy Bridge, managing director of A Place in the Sun. He pointed out that citizens of the United States, Canada, Russia and many other nationalities own properties throughout Europe, so while it may become slightly more complex for British buyers than currently, they are not going to be prevented from owning property in Europe. Erna Low Property, French Alpine property specialists located in London and in the French ski resort of Les Arcs 1950, say that buyers must resist the urge to panic as there will be no change to buyers conditions and they state that right now buyers should focus on risk assessment and limitation of potential future damage. ‘We are sure that there will be no change in buying costs for those looking to buy property in France, and there are no planned changes in taxations for the income made from property rentals, as well as no difference in capital gain tax as since January 2015 a single rate was applied for EU and Non-EU members,’ said director Francois Marchand. ‘In time, UK residents might be limited regarding the amount of GBP investments and the amount of wealth that can be sent abroad when a new government is in. A safe investment risk strategy has always been to diversify your portfolio. It will make no difference for our clients investing in a French property whether they have bought, are planning to buy, or are currently in the process of buying a property in France. The mountains were there before EU existed, and will be there tomorrow to welcome any international property investors, part of the EU or not,’ he added. However, Alejandra Vanoli, managing director of Mallorca Sotheby's International Realty, believes that the real impact Brexit will have on European property markets will be hard to determine until the negotiations between the UK and the EU are finalised. ‘This of course will be most prevalent in the Spanish market due to the high concentration of British expats. However, these changes will undoubtedly need some time to take effect. Despite this, the Balearics are still a very attractive second home destination to British buyers due to our short flight time from the UK, secure lifestyle, warm climate and favourable legal framework for expats looking to invest in the property market,’ he said. One possible effect is that prices could rise in popular locations if real estate investors move away from the UK to other EU countries to buy property. Camille Letuve Partner of Athena Advisers said that some foreign investors might turn away from London… Continue reading

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