Sales

The relationship between parents and their children is commonly lifelong but there comes a time when the apron strings are cut and the brood flies the nest. It’s a stage in life when many parents, perhaps reaching retirement age, make a number of lifestyle changes.

Despite rising inflation, interest rates and general cost of living, Barclays and a handful of other banks are predicting that house prices in the UK will continue to grow.

Barclays said on Wednesday that while higher interest rates are expected to adversely impact housing markets in major economies, house price growth should remain “positive over the forecast horizon.”

There can’t be a seller in the land that doesn’t want their property to sell for the highest price. Although a lot rides with the buyer, their budget and how much they’re prepared to pay, sellers can help themselves when it comes to achieving as close to the asking price as possible.

Crisis. Turmoil. Unprecedented.
These were words rarely used before the pandemic. Now they’ve become headlines every day in the news.
And this week, they have been used more than ever to report the economic waves caused by the Chancellor’s mini-budget last week.
It would be naive of us to say it’s business as usual. It’s not.

Irreverently known as the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’, cash contributions from parents and even grandparents are on the rise. In fact, an estimated £25 billion is expected to be lent to children over the next three years, with almost half of all first-time buyers having to rely on family to fund part or all of their deposit.

Cuts to stamp duty were announced in the Government’s mini-Budget, doubling the amount at which stamp duty takes hold for all home purchases, meaning the first £250,000 of a property’s price will be exempt compared to just £125,000 before.

If you are thinking of selling your property, over valuing it can cause a number of issues from lack of interest to a potential sale collapsing, possibly leaving you with a broken chain.

In this video, I go through what over-valuing is, the issues that can arise and, most importantly, how you can avoid it!

Since the Help to Buy equity loan was first introduced in 2013, it has helped more than 270,000 buyers find a home to call their own. While there had been extensions of the previous scheme in 2021, Homes England since announced that applications are open for buyers to apply for the new Help to Buy which will be available from April 2021 to 2023. Applications for the new Help to Buy scheme opened on Wednesday 16th December 2020, and will close at 6pm on Monday 31st October 2022.

The number of mortgages available to borrowers has hit the lowest level for more than a year, Moneyfacts has warned.

Analysis by the comparison website found that the number of available products in the residential sector plummeted by 517 over the month to leave just 3,890 on offer for September.

The majority of homeowners and prospective movers will have a mortgage as part of their property plans, therefore it’s important to keep tabs on both interest and mortgage rates. In August 2022, the Bank of England increased the interest rate by 0.5 percentage points to 1.75% – the biggest increase in 27 years. 

It’s a busy housing market out there with properties being snapped up extremely quickly. 

If you’re looking for your next home, here are some tips and tricks to help you find the home you love ♥

We use the expression ‘first impressions count’ for good reason and potential buyers faced with an exterior that’s cracked, flaking and grubby will make quick assumptions about your property.