After nine months of growth, Britain’s construction industry took a cold weather dip, as outdoor work became treacherous in the icy conditions. Experts expected the sector to slow a little, but things were worse than feared.  Jeremy Cook, chief economist at currency exchange broker World First, said: “This isn’t really a surprise after the ‘snow-apocalypse’ [...]

Continue reading " UK Construction Recedes "

Housing minister Grant Shapps has announced that he’s looking for a new age of house price stability, following some years of volatility. Shapps suggests that encouraging developers to build more homes is one way to promote stability, following the huge increases in value since the late 1990s. “This government absolutely supports peoples’ aspirations to own [...]

Continue reading " Government Wants House Price Stability "

Property values in Kensington & Chelsea and the City of Westminster rose by 0.7% and 1.5% respectively during November, according to the latest Land Registry results issued in late December.  This means that average values over the 12 months to November 2010 are 8.5% and 11.4% higher than the preceding year.  Meanwhile, England and Wales [...]

Continue reading " Central London Property Dodges The Downturn "

Mortgage interest rates will rise in 2011 and carry on rising into 2012, according to a new report from the Confederation of British Industry, which predicts that rates will go up by at least two per cent by the end of 2012.  This will add almost £200 to an average monthly payment. “Many households have [...]

Continue reading " Mortgage Rates Due To Rise Through 2011 "

Amid dire warnings from the IMF about the state of the world economy, things are looking fairly scary closer to home.  Unemployment is rising, the public sector is being shredded, the Eurozone is close to collapse and Simon Cowell has failed to get his latest band a Christmas number one. For a taste of the [...]

Continue reading " Property Trends for 2012 "