Archive for the 'House Prices' Category |
House prices rise in March
Friday, April 6th, 2007The Halifax has released data showing that house prices rose, on average, by 1% in March. Overall prices have risen by 2.8% in quarter one of 2007. March’s figure brings the annual rate of house price growth to 11.1%.
(more…)DCLG house price survey
Monday, March 12th, 2007The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has released results of its January house price survey. They show that house prices rose 2.1% in January, bringing the average house price to £205,286.
The annual rate of house price growth was 10.9%, up from 9.9% in December 06. London had a slightly higher rate of growth, up from 11.8% in December to 13.2% in January. London was overshadowed by Northern Ireland however which has an annual house price inflation rate of 42.5%. Experts have suggested that this high growth is due to a peace dividend.
Prices rise 1.8% in February
Thursday, March 8th, 2007Halifax’s house price survey results for February have shown that prices rose by 1.8% on average. This keeps the annual rate at 9.9%, and brings the ‘standardised average house price’ to £192,233.
On a quarterly basis though, the rate of growth has dropped considerably. In the past three months, prices rose by 2.3%, compared to 4.7% in the previous three months.
Demand is dropping relative to the peaks seen in the autumn of 2006, but low supply is “continuing to exert upward pressure on house prices, particularly in London”.
Halifax also note that property tax as a percentage of total tax has risen from 10.4% in 1995 to 12.0% in 2004. This compares with a 5.3% average in the Euro-zone. What do readers think of this? Is it time for a change in Government? Add a comment to air your views.
Why you should welcome Traffic Wardens
Monday, February 26th, 2007Ing Direct and Future Foundation have announced results of research into factors pointing to growth potential in property values. The bank interviewed 200 estate agents in order to compile the list of factors. The three main factors were:
- Improving school results (79%)
- Skips and scaffolding (70%)
- Planning application notices (57%)
- more traffic wardens
- busier public transport
- more burglar alarms
- neighbourhood watch schemes
- graffiti removal
- ethnic food in local shops
- a growing telephone directory
ING estimates that if an area is displaying at least six of the factors, it should outperform the national average by over 13% for the next ten years.
ING Direct’s chief executive Lindsay Sinclair said “Traffic wardens and more crowded public transport are not things you would normally welcome, but it appears that such annoyances do come with a silver lining.”