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Hope for house prices as latest report hits the press

Friday, August 5th, 2011

The latest figures from the UK’s largest mortgage provider suggests that prices are beginning to steady and that homeowners and prospective buyers can take a little reassurance from their latest collection of data.

The Halifax latest quarterly report on the housing sector says that homebuyers will now be getting household insurance cover on a home that on average costs £163,981. The figure is just 0.03% higher than the last batch of results but, in what is viewed as a significant pointer, it is the first time for 14 months that their House Price Index has reflected growth in two consecutive readings. The average price is still well down on July last year but there are definitely small signs of encouragement according to some of those in the sector.

Martin Ellis, a housing price expert at the bank, said “House prices in the three months to July were 0.5% higher than in the previous three months. This was the first increase in this key measure of underlying price movements for 14 months.

“Overall, there has been little change in either the level of house sales or the number of properties on the market for sale since late 2010. These steady market conditions have helped to stabilise house prices in 2011 following last year’s modest decline.”

The Halifax report does not paint such a rosy picture as the one provided by the UK’s largest Building Society, the Nationwide, who reported a rise of over 4% in house prices since the turn of the year, but does still hold out hope for those trying to get a reasonable price for their home. News provided by the Bank of England that mortgage approvals and home insurance quotes for the month of June were the highest for over a year will also add a bounce to the step of estate agents across the UK when they walk into work this morning.

Tags: Halifax, house prices, mortgage provider
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Coalition urges lenders to help solve the current first-time buyer crisis

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Coalition Housing Minister Grant Shapps has given his views on how to stimulate the first-time buyer market. He has told lenders that they should seriously consider offering “mate’s mortgages” which would be the ideal option for friends who can combine their money and secure a foot on the property ladder.

The call came at the minister’s second housing summit where Mr Shapps claimed the idea was perfect as friends, without access to the bank of Mum and Dad, can pool their resources together to raise the necessary deposit, and if done correctly it could become the mainstream alternative to years and years of saving. The mate’s rates scheme can also provide a boost to what is still a struggling United Kingdom housing market that now has “thirtysomethings” as the average age for first-time buyers.

Mr Shapps said: “If there are mates who are perfectly capable of paying monthly mortgage payments but are struggling to fund a deposit on their own, there should be straightforward options to unite with their friends and take the first step onto the housing ladder together. That is why I have once again called on key figures from across the housing market to come together and discuss ways to improve the availability of mortgages, and how existing products can be promoted much better.”

The Housing Minister was also quick to praise the new innovations and products such as the Governments First Buy scheme. Insurance providers will probably have to rethink conventional household insurance policies to cover such schemes and mortgage lenders were also urged to copy Lloyds “Lend a hand scheme”, where the buyers family are able to guarantee the mortgage.

Tags: Grant Shapps, home insurance, household insurance, mates mortgages, Mortgages
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Housing crisis is forcing young couples into tough decisions

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

The current qualifying criteria for getting a mortgage is making it extremely difficult for first time buyers to get onto the property ladder; it is also stopping a new generation following in their parents footsteps of buying a home and raising a family.

New research claims over one in five 18 to 34 year olds have had to move back into a parent’s home because they cannot afford to rent and save for a deposit to buy a home. The prospect of them purchasing household insurance on a home they actually own seems to be rapidly diminishing. A similar number also have to delay starting a family for the same reason.

Experts feel this is going to create huge social, health, emotional and financial implications in the future. The research carried out by housing charity Shelter also highlighted that many young couples whose relationship has broken down are forced to stay under the same roof because neither can afford to move out. The younger generation in the United Kingdom are facing the duel problem of a shortage of new affordable properties, caused by too few being built, and also a lack of mortgages being available.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said “It used to be the accepted path that people grew up, moved out of the family home and started a life of their own. Our research shows a fundamental shift in society, with young people today unable to make the same life choices as their parents and being robbed of the opportunity to lead full and independent lives. Housing has always been a major expense, but never before has a generation been faced with having to pay such a high proportion of their spending on a home of their own, whether renting or buying.”

Only around 100,000 new properties homes were built in 2010, this is the lowest for almost 100 years. Planning permission for around 33,000 new properties was granted in the first three months of 2011 and with 60,000 needed to meet demand it is a problem not just for this generation, but also future generations, unless there are some fundamental changes.

Tags: first time buyers, household insurance, mortgage, new home, property ladder
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Housing market figures show major drop in April

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Mortgage approvals by banks dropped by 6% in April and are down by 18% compared with April 2010. The figures represent a steep fall on the mortgages approved last year, according to the BBA (British Bankers’ Association).

Meanwhile, separate figures released from HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) showed that total property sales, including all those homes bought without the need of a mortgage, were 8% lower in April than for the same month in 2010. According to HMRC, there were 73,000 sales last month, compared with 79,000 in April 2010 and 139,000 in April 07. The huge gulf between the HMRC and the BBA figures show just how many homeowners not only buy their household insurance in cash but the house as well. It seems as if the punitive loan rates offered by banks to those with only small deposits has squeezed them out of the market completely.

David Brown, commercial director of LSL Property Services, said “Mortgage approvals have fallen in number and in size over the last year and this is fundamental to the United Kingdom’s property market. Property transactions last month were at their lowest April level since 1995 and this was driven by the difficulty of obtaining mortgage finance for house purchases. Slow mortgage lending is at the heart of the current trends in the property market.”

Mr Brown like many others feels that the housing market is caught in a vicious circle.
First time buyers need to be encouraged by offering finance which is appropriate to their situation. The British Bankers’ Association highlight lack of demand for a mortgage as the key factor in the low level of approvals at the current time. The low number of mortgages has resulted in much more activity in the private lettings market where demand continues to outstrip supply.

Tags: British Bankers’ Association, HM Revenue and Customs, LSL Property Services, Mortgages
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New rules on mortgage lending may cause house prices to fall

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Tough new mortgage lending rules which will include restrictions on how much a person may borrow, are expected to come into force next year.

For some time now, banks have been accused of lending irresponsibly, which allowed home buyers to be able to borrow more than the value of the home and also take out interest only mortgages without having to provide any evidence of how they intended to repay the loan. Millions of homeowners will become ‘mortgage prisoners’ if the controversial introduction of new loan rules goes ahead next year, experts have warned.

The CML say that the proposals are fatally flawed. And their director general, Michael Coogan, said “It will trigger a sharp rise in negative equity, interest-only mortgages will disappear and leave young people unable to buy a home until their late 30′s or even later.”

The golden age of homeownership is over for the moment. This is another blow for homeowners and the new rules are expected to trigger a slump in property prices after two separate independent sets of analyses came to the same conclusion.

First time buyers are the biggest problem in the housing market at the moment with the number dropping from 600,000 per year to just below 200,000, and this number is expected to fall even lower. The number of people who will be trapped in negative equity (where the mortgage is bigger than the value of their house) will also increase.

The fear is property prices will fall because of the changes and this is a major blow for anyone who needs to sell their home fast. No one wants to buy a property then take out household insurance only to find that they are in negative equity. The new proposals mean the mortgage market will be changed beyond recognition for millions of people. The credit crunch has already set off a clampdown on mortgages. The fear is that only the rich and well paid with a clean credit history will get a mortgage.

Tags: home insurance, home owners, household insurance, Mortgages, property market
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Lending up, Prices down

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

It appears that more homeowners managed to move out of their old homes and start a new life in fresh surroundings last month as mortgage lending improved a full 5% on June. The figures were the best since July 2009 and suggest the insurance sector had a boost also, with more household insurance policies being issued. Industry experts, however, still anticipate low house sales for the rest of the year.

In all, the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML), reported that £13.6 billion was advanced last month, the third month in a row that has seen an increase, but still didn’t match the £14 billion handed over last July.

Paul Sumter, a CML economist, did not anticipate a surge in house sales at any time this year but speculated that homeowners may be reluctant to change mortgages while the bank rate is low, he said “It is difficult to see anything other than a slow market for the rest of this year as underlying activity remains subdued. The vast majority of households continue to pay their mortgages in full every month, and many have benefited from the record low interest rates. This looks set to continue for some time yet.”

Although lending has gone up over the last three months, most banks and building societies are reporting that house prices have actually dropped in the same period. This suggests the market is readjusting and experts expect the market to stay at these levels for the rest of the year. The CML have put a figure of £140 billion of mortgage advances for the year. The August figures, released on September 20^th will provide a further insight into the trend for the rest of the year.

Tags: home insurance, household insurance, Loans, Mortgages, property market, property prices
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