Tag Archives: real estate
Property prices in Scotland down slightly in run up to Brexit, but up 4% year on year
Residential property prices in Scotland increased by 4% year on year in June but fell by 0.4% month on month, according to the latest data to be published. Overall prices flattened slightly in the run up to the European Union referendum with the first monthly decline since February but it was still the largest annual growth rate since May 2015, says the Your Move Acadata index. While monthly house prices were down compared to May, the average price of property was £170,404 in June, still 0.97% higher compared to the start of the year. A breakdown of the figures shows that a number of areas did not see prices fall in June, most notable Aberdeen where a fall in oil prices have hit the city hard in recent months, but it saw prices rise by 1.6% month on month. Prices increased month on month by 3.8% in Glasgow, by 2.8% in East Dunbartonshire, by 2.5% in Stirling, by 2% in Shetland, by 1% in Moray, by 1.3% in South Lanarkshire, by 1.2% in North Lanarkshire, by 0.5% in Argyll and Bute, by 0.4% in West Dunbartonshire, by 0.2% in Renfrewshire, the Borders and East Ayrshire, by 0.1% in South Ayrshire and North Ayrshire and were unchanged in Edinburgh. Prices fell by 6.4% in Inverclyde, by 5.9% in Fife, by 5% in Perth and Kinross, by 3.9% in East Lothian, by 3.5% in Dumfries and Galloway, by 3.3% in Orkney, by 3% in West Lothian, by 2.4% in Dundee, by 2.4% in Clackmannanshire, by 2.3% in East Renfrewshire, by 1.8% in Midlothian, by 1.3% in Aberdeenshire and by 0.1% in Falkirk. Christine Campbell, Your Move managing director in Scotland, pointed out that the data covers the period up to the end of June, so any impact from Brexit is not yet reflected in the figures. ‘What we can see is that the underlying fundamentals of the market remain strong. We’re benefitting from record low mortgage rates, high employment levels, and high demand for property. Following April’s introduction of the 3% tax increase on second homes, house prices and transaction figures remain arguably skewed in the second quarter of this year, as buyers pushed to complete before the surcharge came into effect,’ she said. She also explained that June was the first month that the spike in house prices as a result of the 2015 LBTT changes dropped out of the annual figures. ‘This previous distortion in property prices goes some way to explaining the seemingly significant annual price increase we saw this June,’ she commented. ‘Whilst market sentiment remains strong, with continued demand from both buyers and sellers, it will be interesting to watch how potential Brexit implications play into transaction and price figures over the coming months,’ she added. ‘Long term, the outlook for the housing market looks favourable. However, with housing demand continuing to vastly outstrip supply, it is important that we see a concerted focus on building new property to ensure there are… Continue reading
Improved rail links to London boost prime property prices in commuter towns
Prime property prices in key UK locations where train services make them commuter zones for London have seen prices rise in the second quarter of 2016, according to the latest index data. In Bristol, where commuters are within reach of London’s Paddington station, prime property prices have increased by 7.4% in the year to June 2016 with the second quarter of the year seeing a 17% rise in new buyer registration and a 19% rise in viewings. In nearby Cheltenham prime property prices increased by 8.6% year on year and 2% quarter on quarter, according to the index data from real estate firm Knight Frank, and this compared with annual growth of 1.3% in the UK wide prime property market. But in Oxford, another popular commuter city, prime prices increases by just 0.3% between April and June, taking annual price growth to 0.7% but the data report says that demand remains strong. In Oxford the slow down in price growth is attributed to uncertainty in the run up to June’s historic referendum and the decision to leave the European Union. ‘After several years of strong price increases, during which the city has comfortably outperformed the wider UK, the latest figures suggest that price growth at the top end of the market in Oxford has started to ease,’ said Oliver Knight, research associate at Knight Frank. ‘While the fundamentals underpinning the market remain unchanged, the reasons for the easing are twofold. Firstly, there was a softening in demand for prime property in the immediate run up to the EU referendum, with potential purchasers adopting a wait and see approach,’ he explained. ‘Secondly, and arguably more importantly, recent changes to stamp duty levied on the purchase price of the most valuable properties has made buyers increasingly price sensitive,’ he added. He pointed out that prime homes in Oxford worth more than £2 million rose in value by just 0.1% in the year to June as buyers and vendors factored higher purchase costs into pricing and offers. In comparison, properties worth up to £750,000, where the stamp duty burden is lower, rose by 1.7%. According to William Kirkland, Knight Frank Partner in the firm’s Oxford City Department, demand remains consistent and new high speed rail link at Oxford Parkway, which opened in October 2015, has helped stimulate demand in property markets to the north of the city as commuters using the line can now be in London Marylebone in under an hour. ‘As a result, there has been an increase in the number of Londoners looking to buy property in Oxford so far this year. Some 25% of all prospective buyers registering with Knight Frank's Oxford office in 2016 were based in the capital, up from 19% in 2015,’ he added. A growing imbalance between supply and demand continues to drive strong price growth in the prime Cheltenham market. There were 19% fewer prime properties available for sale across Cheltenham at the end of June year on year… Continue reading
Research suggests DIY can be a false economy for UK home owners
Home owners undertaking DIY to improve their home may find it is a false economy with research suggesting that it is likely to be botched and end up costing the owner more. Some 72% of home owners in the UK take on a DIY job to save money but more than a quarter, 27%, admitted they have botched the work and 34% left it unfinished, according to research from Halifax Home Insurance. The study also found that among those jobs they were willing to do themselves, some 77% would be confident to tackle painting, 75% gardening, just under half would attempt to put up shelves and just under 40% would put up wallpaper. The research shows a continuing decline in home improvement skills for young home owners. Only 62% of 18 to 24 year olds said they felt confident changing a lightbulb compared to 93% of over 55s. This was also true when it came to tiling, with 32% of over 55s feeling confident compared to only 13% of 18 to 24s. The North East of England topped the tables for confidence in DIY tasks with 82% confident about painting, 51% wallpapering and 55% putting up shelves while Yorkshire and Humberside were the most green fingered with 86% feeling confident at gardening. ‘Most people will take on DIY jobs at some point, so it’s important they make sure they are adequately prepared beforehand. They should check they have the right tools for the job, consider taking out accidental damage cover in case things go wrong, and avoid taking on too much. It’s essential to call in the qualified experts when it comes to jobs such as gas, electrics and plumbing, as home owners can risk invalidating their home insurance policy if things go awry,’ said Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager at Halifax Home Insurance. Last year alone, Halifax Home Insurance recorded over 16,000 accidental damage claims, including DIY related incidents. In total the insurer paid out more than £11 million for accidental damage, costing an average of almost £700 per claim. Meanwhile, a separate piece of research has found that first time buyers are paying a hefty price for snapping up cheaper properties that need renovating and undertaking the work themselves. According to specialist insurance broker Towergate over a fifth of first time buyers who are eager to get on the property ladder are turning to lower priced properties that need doing up and cutting costs by carrying out the work themselves, spending £4,600 in the process. However on top of the initial cost of the work, some 27% of new home owners have had to fork out extra cash for a professional contractor to fix their mistakes, costing an average £2,358. And separate research among members of electrical contracting industry body NICEIC has shown a summer spike in callouts to fix DIY mistakes, with 17% of contractors reporting an increase in requests during this time of year. ‘Given the… Continue reading
