Articles
Property shortage hindering first time buyers although signs of more returning to the market in 2012
The proportion of buyers who intend to purchase their first home over the next year has edged up to 24.3%, up 1.4% on last quarter and 1.5% year-on-year.
But Rightmove, which advertises around 90% of...
Valentines Offer for February
For any property Moreland are instructed to sell in the month of February, we will offer a special rate of 1.5% for Sole Agency (usually 1.97%) and 2.25% Multiple Agency (usually 3%).
Showing our romantic side,...
Market Update
The reason appears to be the simple old economic adage of supply and demand. Quite simply, in good markets such as London and the South East, demand continues to outstrip or, at best, match supply. This is having...
Re-think on whether landlords should have to settle tenants' unpaid water bills
Under the Flood and Water Management Act, the Government can make property owners liable for payment of water and sewerage bills if they fail to provide details of their tenants within a specified time.
However,...
There's an App for that!
The App has a number of useful fast features to enable users to browse the Moreland property registers and get information whilst on the move.
Edward Gilbert, Managing Director of Moreland...
Market positive on Buy to Let lending for 2012
Of those who said they expect Buy to let business to rise 19% said that they expect levels to bounce 10% or more.
Only 3% of respondents said they are looking to complete less buy-to-let business in the...
Landlords to have bumper year
The tenant referencing firm said the continuation of low interest rates and the gradual easing of lending restrictions by financial institutions have seen many Buy-to-let investors return to the marketplace to expand...
FTB affordability at 8 year high
The average house price paid by a first-time buyer in November 2011 was affordable for someone on average earnings - based on the ratio of the average house price to earnings being below the long-term average of 4.0 -...
Landlord mortgage arrears set to rise as tenants struggle with rent
According to research by Templeton LPA, a specialist practice of LPA Receivers, the number of court orders to evict tenants is up by 11%.
In the last quarter, 24,966 tenants faced eviction notices...
London Marathon - Breath Of Life Fund
I am running the London Marathon in memory of my mother in law, Pamela Williams. Sadly she passed away on the 27th November 2011 leaving behind four children and three grandchildren with a fourth on the way.
All...
2012 Market Update
As we enter 2012 there are very few people who expect the year to be anything other than a challenging year for everyone within the UK and indeed, across the globe.
Financial issues...
Richard Seymour
Richard Seymour is the latest arrival to the Moreland team and has joined the team as a Lettings Negotiator.
Richard started his career in residential lettings in 2009 and worked with Moreland’s Lettings Manager...
Repossessions set to rise in 2012 but remain low
All UK regions will see modest increases in both the rate and number of repossessions, although Northern Ireland will experience a repossession rate more than four times higher than the South West of England, the data...
Three quarters of FTBs locked out of market
Last year 26% of potential first-time buyers were able to purchase within 12 months. Around 20% and above was the level typically seen pre-credit crunch.
The only region in the UK above that level was London...
Halifax: House prices static in 2012
It also believes the Bank of England Base Rate will still be 0.5% at the end of 2012.
Favourable affordability, low Bank Rate, low levels of forced selling and the long term supply/demand imbalance were cited...
Winter Property Tips
With temperatures reaching very low levels it is advisable to ensure that properties are kept warm, even if vacant, in order to avoid issues such as frozen pipes. Water in frozen pipes expands and can cause...
Report says a third of people struggling to afford rent
The British Social Attitudes study on housing produced for NatCen Social Research revealed problems are more pronounced in the private sector with 35% struggling to cope with paying their rent compared to 29% of tenants...
Report says tenants face winter rent rises
Landlords said the increased cost of running a property portfolio also has also driven them to increase rents.
At the same time one in five landlords claimed their arrears had increased during Q3 compared...
Government housing plans will boost Buy To Let
Bob Young, managing director of CHL Mortgages, explains his views on what’s in store for UK housing:
“Whatever your feelings about the proposals within the Government’s housing strategy, it is fair to say...
Marketplace December 2011
It seems a long time ago but we entered the year with a fair amount of concern over the state of the economy and the “austerity measures” that the coalition Government was proposing. VAT was increased to 20% and the general...
Christmas and New Year
We shall finish for Christmas and the New Year at close of business on 22nd December, returning at start of business on 3rd January.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all...
Government sscheme: new build indemnity
The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister said their new plans will give the housing market a shot in the arm by boosting supply, easing financial pressures and helping with demand.
They believe their...
Mortgage Repossessions Remain Low in the UK
The latest report published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders suggests that the number of mortgage arrears and property repossessions remained low in the third quarter of 2011.
As such, only 0.08% of all homes...
More landlords seek to raise funds for more purchases
Specialist lender Paragon says that over four in ten of intermediaries’ landlord customers are now growing their portfolios.
According to Paragon, 42% of brokers said more than half of their buy-to-let cases...
Most homeowners ignore remortgage benefits
The UK is a cost-cutting nation with 92% of homeowners currently trying to reduce their monthly outgoings. Yet the research from Barclays shows that Brits are ignoring how they could cut one of their biggest monthly outgoings...
Number of buy to let mortgage products has doubled
70% of buy to let mortgages were broker only products or available through both intermediaries and providers directly in 2008. The proportion is now 86%.
Over the same period, the number of products...
Market Place
It’s nearly Winter, we’ve put the clocks back an hour and as the weather gets colder, the economic news from around the world is challenging to say the least.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the property...
Sales of £1m plus homes reach pre-crunch levels
There were 3,375 sales of £1m-plus properties in the first six months of this year, an increase of 10% on the same period in 2010 and the highest number since the first half of 2007, when there were 3,680 sales.
The...
Trapped renters now constitute over half of the UK rental sector
Trapped renters, tenants who would like, but cannot afford to, buy, make up 55% of the rental sector, with one in four of them over the age of 40, according to the portal’s latest Consumer Rental Forecast.
Thus,...
Mortgage rates at record low
Countrywide's report revealed that mortgage rates have fallen by 2.41% over the last three years.
It also showed that both fixed rate and tracker mortgages have become significantly...
Tenant demand continues to spiral, say landlords
The Private Rented Sector Trends Report for the third quarter gives a detailed overview of the sector and landlords’ views on performance.
More than four out of ten landlords (44%) said tenant demand...
Rise in tenants seeking help with rent arrears
The increase has been over the last four years and highlights the problems tenants are having in making ends meet as rents, utilities and the general cost of living rise.
Now, nationwide tenant eviction...
Terrace values climb the most
Owners of terraced properties have seen the value of their property rise by an average of £118 a week over the past decade with the typical price of a terraced home increasing by 68 per cent (£61,489) from £89,843 in...
Moreland are finalists in prestigious industry awards
Leading estate agents from across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom have been notified that they have become shortlisted in the region’s most prestigious property competition in association with Google and Bloomberg...
There is always light at the end of the tunnel
The Autumn Equinox is behind us and we now officially will have more hours of darkness and daylight every day until Spring.
As I write, stock markets are suffering and the world is bracing itself for more difficult...
Most young people aspire to buy own home
This is according to the latest quarterly consumer survey published by The Building Societies Association which shows that amongst potential first-time buyers overall, more than nine in ten (94%) respondents say that...
Housing deposits increase tenfold in twenty years
The research found that since 1990, the average housing deposit has risen from £6,793 to an average of £65,9241 in 2011.
A combination of an increase in house prices and a reduction in the amount of mortgage...
Keep on running (again!)
Moreland Managing Director Edward Gilbert was smiling broadly at the end of the Great North Run on Sunday 18th September.
Edward completed the 13.1 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes and finished in 6,583rd place out...
Cheaper to buy than rent for first time buyers
The latest Halifax Buying vs. Renting Review tracks changes in the cost of buying and renting a typical two bedroom flat for a first-time buyer across the UK over the last three years. Average buying costs include mortgage...
Tenants bracing themselves for higher rents
A new Rightmove survey found that over half (53%) of all tenants expect rents to rise, including 17% that predict rents will be more than 10% higher.
Both figures are the highest Rightmove has recorded in the...
Surge in housing benefit tenants renting privately
The latest RICS quarterly rental survey, covering the quarter to the end of July, says that 13% of all new lets were to housing benefit tenants. The statistic is up from 8% the previous quarter and is the highest since the...
School catchment areas crucial for homebuyers
The findings reveal that for more than one in three (37%) with a child aged 10 or under, this was their top priority with many willing to pay an extra £12,141 to secure the home - and school - of their choice.
The...
Market Update
I trust you had a great Summer and that, if you managed to get a break, that you find yourself suitably refreshed.
As you read this, the Summer holidays will be largely over and with the kids returning to school,...
House sale volumes fall back as mortgage lending slips
Gross mortgage lending in July dropped to an estimated £12.6bn, and housing transactions also fell.
According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the total was 1% lower than June’s £12.68bn and a 6% fall from £13.3bn...
Property at most affordable in 8 years
Halifax research showed the average house price paid by a first-time buyer in June 2011 was affordable for someone on average earnings in 48% of all local authority districts (LADs).
This is the highest proportion...
Landlords vulnerable to rate rises
An interest rate rise of 2% would have a negative impact on 89% of landlords, with 53% concluding that the effect would be significant in a survey by the NLA.
A further 8% would be forced to re-evaluate their...
Pickles: Councils should publish property registers
Communities and Local Government secretary Eric Pickles said he wants councils and public sector organisations to publish the information which will help protect frontline services.
Public sector assets are...
CBI forecasts growth
The UK economy will continue to grow, but at a sluggish rate, in 2011 and pick up modestly in 2012, according to the CBI's latest economic forecast.
Despite the squeeze on household incomes from higher commodity...
Buy to let mortgage rates drop
The research sourced from 754 buy to let applications, revealed the average chosen fixed-rate was 4.82% during the second quarter of 2011, down 0.18% from 5.00% during the first three months of this year.
The average...
Market Update
The summer is now fully upon us and we can look forward to the roads being noticeably quieter as the “school run” traffic disappears for a few weeks.
Whilst some attention may be on holidays, bar-be-ques and keeping...
Number of mortgage products increase again
This is according to figures released from Mortgage Brain’s Monthly Product Analysis.
A 4% increase in product availability during June has taken the total number of live mortgage products listed on its sourcing...
Trading Places
The government’s proposing to empower local authorities to evict council house tenants who earn in excess of £100,000, but what does it mean for the private-rented sector? Lorna Blackwood of the Negotiator magazine investigates.
The...
Distance to work most important factor
The distance between a homebuyer’s new home and their workplace is the biggest priority when it comes to buying a property, according to new research from Santander Mortgages.
Brits would pay an average of...
Terraced houses more likely to be repossessed
Terraces are set to account for four out of ten repossessions across the UK during 2011, according to HML following its analysis of 320,000 live mortgage accounts.
HML has forecast UK repossessions geographically...
Keep on running!
At Moreland we enjoy getting involved in community and charitable events and Managing Director Edward Gilbert certainly leads from the front by taking part in several high profile charitable runs every year.
Edward...
Gardens can sell a property
A survey of 2000 adults by HSBC has revealed that while 72% of us currently have a garden, 96% say outside space is important to us when we are viewing a new property.
Nicholas Leeming, business development...
Average age of a first time buyer set to reach 41
The average age of a first-time buyer will be 41 years by the year 2025, up from today’s average age of 38.
The results from LV='s Delayed Lifestyle report show a big leap from the 1980s when people bought...
New regulations on EPCs delayed at last minute
The Government has abandoned attempts to introduce changes to EPC rules on July 1.
A senior official at Communities and Local Government said that they had run out of time.
It is understood that the Regulatory...
Rise of the mature renter
The figures, compiled from a survey of more than 10,000 flat and house sharers, suggest a growing number of mature adults are choosing, or are forced by financial circumstances, to live in shared accommodation.
Shared...
Ladies first onto the property ladder
The saying ‘Ladies first’ also applies to the property market according to new research by Post Office Mortgages.
The research shows that 1.8 million young women, aged between 18-34 in the UK, are looking...
Moreland appointed as Home Buyer Centre
We are delighted to announce that Moreland have been appointed the Home Buyer Centre agency for the local area. This means that we can now offer prospective buyers a bespoke property search and acquisition service that covers...
Consumers say they expect house prices to rise
Although house prices fell by 1.2% on a quarterly basis in April, one in three of survey respondents actually predicted that average UK house prices will rise this year, whilst 23% expect a fall in prices.
This...
Number of mortgage products at 3-year high
The number of mortgage products available has reached its highest level in three years after the introduction of over 200 products in May 2011, latest figures from Mortgage Brain have revealed.
The Monthly...
Get rid of crooked agents, ARLA tells ministers
ARLA has once again appealed to the Government to exercise more control over both landlords and agents in the private rented sector.
It said in particular that unlicensed agents pose a ‘real threat’ to the sector.
ARLA’s...
Rightmove reports says half of all tenants expect their rents to go up
Half of tenants are expecting rents to rise over the next year, with one in seven expecting the hike to be more than 10%.
According to a new report by Rightmove, their fears are justified.
The site says that...
Confused – you will be?
This headline seems appropriate for an industry that revels in producing reams of monthly reports on what is happening to house prices.
All of the major property portals, lenders and professional bodies produce...
Hidden gas flues in rental properties must be checked
Landlords are being reminded of the need to get gas boiler and flue systems checked yearly, as new guidance comes into force to protect residents from potential carbon monoxide leaks from hidden flues.
All Gas Safe...
Report says consumer confidence in UK property market is strong
A survey carried out by the Worldwide Property Group revealed that consumer confidence in property is high in Great Britain.
The survey was performed in March 2011 and was focused on such sectors of property market...
Report shows average first time buyer deposit is 17% of purchase price
Deposits paid by first-time buyers trying to get on the British housing ladder during the last 12 years have averaged 17% of the overall property value.
This is 2% more than the current average and has taken an average...
Moreland History
Moreland was established in 1988 and has become one of the areas most reputable estate agents. We provide reliability and commitment in all aspects of sales and lettings with highly experienced staff, strong local advertising,...
