Stamp duty reform leads London’s top property prices to fall
Heavily impacted by George Osborne’s stamp duty (SDLT) reforms, prices at the top of the London property market have fallen, with west London locations such as Notting Hill and Kensington seeing the biggest drops in price, according to the Stirling Ackroyd Hubs Tracker data. The top 25% of London’s property prices have fallen by -5.4% […]
Don’t doubt value of money laundering prevention
Due to conveyancing transactions usually being of high value as well as their ability to take place without raising suspicion, they are a favoured method of laundering money. The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) have estimated that up to £57 billion is laundered within the UK on a yearly basis. The firms who deal with these […]
Affordability of London house prices hits record low
As house prices in London reach 14.2 times the average salary, the affordability of the capital’s homes have sunk to a record low.
Does the Government really need to reform the house-buying process?
The Government’s pending call for evidence on reforming the house-buying process has been welcomed by many who believe change from the top could deliver efficiencies and reduce the number of failed transactions. I, alongside many, have fully supported attempts to improve the consumer and solicitor experience – there is no denying that the path to […]
“Tomorrow’s Autumn Statement is an opportunity to put some spring into the step of UK housebuilders”
Andy Sommerville, Director of Search Acumen, comments on the latest HMRC transaction data
How will the Autumn Statement impact the property market?
On Wednesday, the Autumn Statement will be delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond. The impact of the changes may have significant impact on the property market, and various legal professionals have expressed their views on what they expect from the Statement in various respects. Differing from the fiscal approach of George Osborne, […]
Conveyancing risk to equity release expansion
Lack of specialist options leaves lenders facing bottlenecks, Key warns
September surge revives conveyancing market after two-month post-Brexit slowdown
Search Acumen Conveyancing Market Tracker – Q3 2016 edition
“Resilient” property market means first time buyers continue to struggle
Whilst the rate of property values rising in the wider market slows, first time buyers still face higher asking prices.
The Capital sees more than 40% crash in home sales
Experts have their say on the Land Registry House Price Index report for September 2016
Lack of suitable land hinders crucial housing supply
According to research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), two thirds of SME house builders are struggling to locate land suitable for development.
40% of average UK salary spent on cost of moving
As house prices rise, estate agency fees, stamp duty and overall conveyancing costs are pushed ever higher. As a result of the price hike, the typical cost of moving has risen by 9% to £10,996. The hardest hit were buyers in the South East, with costs in the Capital standing at over £31,000, according the […]
New £18 million housing fund “will help get them built much sooner”
A new £18 million fund to quicken the speed of home building on large sites has today been announced by Housing Minister Gavin Barwell From today, a ‘capacity fund’ is available for councils to bid for shares of in order to overcome planning issues that may lead to delays and obstruct builders from accessing the […]
“Housebuilding will be firmly at the top of the agenda for the Housing Minister in the coming months”
Search Acumen comments on the RICS Residential Market Survey, October 2016
First time buyer and remortgage activity sees 16% surge
First time buying and remortgaging thrive, as buy-to-let valuations plummet annually, new figures reveal
Struggling first time buyers to be priced out of rental homes
Buy-to-let landlords may be forced to raise rents or sell their properties due to the Government’s punitive new tax regime, says a specialist lawyer.
Mortgage offers within one-week reach
Newcastle Intermediaries has improved its time to offer to six days as well as updating its two and five-year fixed rate mortgage ranges.
“Generation Rent will be the ultimate losers of the government’s tinkering”
Search Acumen comments on ONS index of private housing rental prices (IPHRP) in Great Britain: Sept 2016
Will Purplebricks reach 10% market share?
According to expert analysts, Purplebricks are likely to take 10% of UK and Australian market share and become third largest agent.
Home buyer confidence bounces back to pre-Brexit levels
Property demand sees rise of 16% month-on-month, according to figures from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) Housing Market Report for September 2016.
