UK Housing Market Update Why is remortgaging so weak? While tight credit conditions are keeping all housing market activity subdued, the narrowing of the spread between Standard Variable Rates (SVRs) and the rates available for new loans helps explain... 8th August 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update The other house price divide: new vs. existing house prices The recent outperformance by new-build house prices reflects two factors. First, the increasing use of sales incentives by housebuilders, and second, catch-up growth following a period of... 20th July 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Are Northern house prices leading the way? Contrary to popular perception, the current divergence between house price inflation in different parts of the country is neither new, nor abnormally high. It is possible that, in time, the resilience... 17th July 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Higher value mortgage approvals - a sign of tighter credit conditions? Since the turn of the year, the average value of new mortgages being approved has jumped by 10%. Unfortunately, that rise is more likely to be evidence that credit conditions are deteriorating than a... 21st June 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Halfway through house prices' lost decade? Since mid-2006, successive upward and downward moves in house prices have almost exactly cancelled each other out. With house prices still expensive and earnings rising only slowly, there is a growing... 14th June 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What does the moderation in London house price inflation mean? Last night’s Evening Standard headline, “House prices fall in London”, may have stretched the truth. Yet it does appear as though the pace of house price growth in London is at least beginning to slow... 23rd May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What’s behind the drop in housing starts? It is easy to turn the Greek fiscal crisis into a scapegoat for any piece of bad news. But it does seem plausible that, by triggering a rise in mortgage interest rates and tighter credit conditions... 17th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What impact have rising mortgage interest rates had? Despite making the headlines in recent months, the impact of rising mortgage interest rates on affordability has so far been relatively modest. But with the economy back in recession and renewed fears... 15th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is new-build housing demand a sign of improving buyer sentiment? Demand in the new build sector has recently been stronger than for the market as a whole. This could be the first sign that buyer sentiment is improving. But it seems more likely that the data simply... 9th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Renewed recession underscores likelihood of housing downturn Every recession in the UK of the past half century has been accompanied by real house price falls. But unlike many episodes in the past, with inflation low by historical standards, there is a good... 25th April 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Transactions to suffer as vendors dig in their heels On balance, April’s rise in asking prices does not appear to be good news for the housing market. For a start, to our minds it further reduces the chances that activity will recover any time soon. It... 19th April 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update 2012 Budget - Stamp Duty takes centre stage again The new higher rate of stamp duty for £2m-plus properties, as well as a clampdown on avoidance schemes, is likely to dampen activity at the top end of the London housing market. But we doubt that the... 21st March 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will the North/South split in house prices increase? Our current forecasts envisage that the relatively tight market conditions in the South will result in the North/South house price gap widening by around 5% to 6% this year. But if we are right in... 20th March 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update How significant are the latest mortgage rate rises? The increases in mortgage interest rates highlighted by the press this week are fairly small, are coming off a very low base and will affect a limited number of borrowers. But they should not be... 6th March 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Could increased Chinese demand boost London house prices? Recent growth in the number of Chinese buyers in the London residential market has raised hopes (or fears) that as and when the renminbi becomes fully convertible the floodgates could open. However... 21st February 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update How big is the problem of latent mortgage distress? Data released last week confirmed the downward trend in mortgage arrears and possessions. The popular perception is that both have benefitted from low interest rates and the relatively benign labour... 15th February 2012 · 1 min read
