Has a company treated you unfairly? Our Consumer Champion is available to help. For how to contact her click here. Dear Katie, I decided to move into a retirement village so I asked Fox & Sons estate agents in Dorchester to... Read more
Almost two years into the pandemic-fuelled property boom, house prices are still breaking records. They have climbed by 21pc in the past two years, hitting an average of £265,312 last month, according to Nationwide Building Society. For 41-year-old Alfred Calland,... Read more
Buy-to-let landlords are cashing in on rocketing house prices and selling their properties, causing a slump in the supply of rental homes. Plunging rental supply means competition for properties has hit a new record high, meaning buy-to-let investors have raised... Read more
Retired midwife Margaret Biddle and her husband, John Hughes, went a lot further than this, using savings and money borrowed from family to retrofit their 1970s bungalow near the north Wales coast. The works, designed by Paul Testa, of Sheffield-based... Read more
Martin Stewart of London Money, another broker, said: “I think we will start seeing more downvaluations because there is a thing called gravity. We have crossed the Rubicon between sellers’ expectations and the realistic valuations of the lender.” Most downvaluations... Read more
House prices have climbed to record highs after buyers were not deterred by rising mortgage rates and surging inflation. The average home cost £282,753 in March, rising 11pc over the last year and up £43,577 in the two years since... Read more
Homeowners in the South of England are most at risk of house price falls as the cost of living crisis hammers affordability, experts have warned. Properties in the most expensive parts of the country – where prices have become extremely... Read more
Tax rises that kick in today will reduce what homeowners can borrow and potentially send house prices downwards, experts have warned. The increase in National Insurance contributions will change how lenders run “mortgage affordability assessments”, a leading banker has warned.... Read more
Experts warned the longer house price growth continues at this pace, the more unstable the market will become. Andrew Wishart, of Capital Economics consultants, said: “With house prices continuing to rise apace, the risk of a more dramatic correction is... Read more
The company reported buyer appetite remained “unseasonably strong”, despite predictions the market would begin to cool this year. Gráinne Gilmore, of Zoopla, said: “Demand is strongest for family houses and more than twice as high as usual for this time... Read more
According to the Office of Budget Responsibility, the Government’s fiscal watchdog, household utility bills this April will cost 120pc more than a year ago. “Valuers are reflecting on whether the valuation should take the EPC rating into account. I think... Read more
Aneisha Beveridge of Hamptons said: “Mainly I think it’s a demand-side factor due to the cost of living crisis.” The contrast with the pricier end of the market is huge. Sales of £1m homes in February rose by 40pc year-on-year, despite... Read more
Six months ago, it had forecast growth in 2022 of 3.2pc. This would have meant a cash increase in 2022 of £8,800. Now, it expects homeowners will make 130pc more from their properties than previously suggested. This forecast is in... Read more
Sellers are taking advantage of an extreme shortage of homes up for sale, as well as buyers rushing to purchase before rising interest rates bring an end to the era of cheap debt. The Bank of England last week made... Read more
Now that the Bank Rate has risen to 0.75pc, if lenders immediately pass the increase onto mortgage borrowers, the monthly costs would rise to just over 43pc of their disposable income. Lenders would, however, be likely to absorb some of... Read more
A delay to interest rate rises could create a mini stamp duty holiday effect as buyers rush to lock in cheaper debt that will push up house prices in the next few months. The additional spike in inflation caused by... Read more
Cheap debt Wage growth has consistently failed to keep pace with soaring house prices in recent years, sending affordability to a record low. Buyers now need 7.7 times their income to afford the average home, according to analysts Capital Economics.... Read more
That is the housing market. The reality, on the other hand, is that affordability is already at a record low, with buyers needing 7.7 times their salary to get on the ladder. Interest rates are rising, which will add hundreds... Read more
House prices have risen at the fastest rate in 14 years, propelled by an extreme shortage of homes for sale, as buyers scramble to secure the few homes on the market. Property values jumped 10.8pc in the year to the... Read more
Retired midwife Margaret Biddle and her husband, John Hughes, went a lot further than this, using savings and money borrowed from family to retrofit their 1970s bungalow near the north Wales coast. The works, designed by Paul Testa, of Sheffield-based... Read more
Properties are selling within three weeks of being listed on the market, as determined families fight over the most desirable homes. January was the busiest start to the year for the housing market since 2016, according to Zoopla, the property... Read more
Joe Staton, of GfK, said: “There’s clear anxiety in these findings as many consumers worry about balancing the household books at the end of the month without going into further debt.” This data was gathered in the first two weeks... Read more
House prices could fall by a tenth next year as rapid inflation and the cost of living crisis destroy the property market boom, experts have warned. Economists and a former government housing adviser have said that the toxic cocktail of... Read more
In the past two years, the average property in Nottingham has increased in value by a quarter. It is one of a constellation of cities across the Midlands whose property markets have been soaring, bucking the pandemic-fuelled urban exodus. Of... Read more
He said: “Like many, our biggest challenge is a lack of stock. As soon as anything new comes onto the market, it is flying off the shelf, with multiple buyers competing for the final sale. “With so many potential buyers,... Read more