Blogs
Property predictions for 2012
Author: Move with Us23 Dec 11, 09:13 AM
Category: General
Robin King, Director of Move with Us, talks about his predictions for the housing market in 2012:
Housing divide to grow
“2012 will be a tale of the haves and have-nots. Those who are able to will continue to de-leverage using lower interest rates to pay substantial chunks off their mortgages. People in arrears will continue to suffer as they see the value of their asset eroding while struggling with the higher cost of living and job uncertainty.
FSA set out new tighter lending criteria
Author: Move with Us20 Dec 11, 10:14 AM
The FSA Mortgage Market Review published on Monday has set out new lending regimes aimed at putting a permanent end to the lending excess seen pre credit crunch.
The new proposals include an affordability assessment which looks at borrowers household spending and includes ‘stress’ tests to see how a borrower would cope if interest rates went up. In addition, future house prices will no longer be factored into mortgage repayments. Borrowers will now have to show more robust ways of being able to pay their mortgages back.
Could a new approach to housing structure change the way we live?
Author: Move with Us13 Dec 11, 04:03 PM
High street guru Mary Portas has set out her recommendations for revitalising Britain's high streets in a report commissioned by David Cameron.
The report was designed to look at invigorating town centres that have declined due to factors such as internet shopping, high parking fees and less disposable income for the general public.
One of Portas’s proposals is to blend high street shopping with private housing, as opposed to the current system where the two are predominantly segregated, in a bid to make high streets ‘places where we go to engage with other people in our communities, where shopping is just one small part of a rich mix of activities’.
Customers are changing the way they buy houses
Author: Move with Us8 Dec 11, 03:30 PM
Estate Agent Today has reported that people looking to buy a house don't register at estate agents offices any more but instead view houses online.
Traditionally, homebuyers would register with an estate agent and wait for them to suggest suitable properties for viewing. Now however, more people search for what they want online before contacting the relevant agent to arrange a viewing.
Reflection on the Autumn Statement
Author: Move with Us1 Dec 11, 04:37 PM
Robin King, director at Move with Us, the residential property specialist, reflects on the Autumn Statement
Chancellor’s statement fails to tackle first-time buyer crisis
It is very disappointing to see the Chancellor’s statement failing to address the crisis affecting first-time buyers. The government cannot ignore first-time buyers. We need to get more people onto the property ladder to stimulate the market.
The introduction of the mortgage indemnity scheme the Chancellor announced to help up to 100,000 people buy homes with five per cent deposit will be of little help to most people. The government needs to extend this to be more generous, targeting larger numbers of people with bigger amounts.
