Breaking news
Mortgages needing 10 per cent deposits are continuing to return to the market, in a welcome move for first-time buyers. Lenders have launched 117 new products since the beginning of the year, and 29 in the first two weeks of February alone, according to information website Moneyfacts. These lower-deposit mortgages are popular with first-time buyers, … Read more
Rishi Sunak considers extending the stamp duty holiday to prevent buyers dropping out of home sales if they miss the March deadline The Chancellor fears transactions worth billions are at risk with current deadline He is considering extending the holiday until mid-May to help buyers The current March 31 deadline could cause a ‘completion trap’ … Read more
There are several avenues for complaints if your new-build home is defective Until the new code and ombudsman service comes into force – probably later this year – these are the options for homeowners who are unhappy with the quality of their new build. 1. Use your warranty If your new-build is less than 10 … Read more
The proportion of first-time buyers spending more than £1million on their homes has doubled in the past year. Two per cent of buyers spent a seven-figure sum on their first home in 2020, compared to one per cent the year before, according to data from the estate agent Hamptons International. Based on Halifax data which … Read more
It is 35 years since Margaret Thatcher revealed her dream of a society ‘where owning shares is as common as having a car’. Yet despite dogged attempts by the finance industry to get people investing, little changed for decades. For years, car owners outnumbered those with an investment account by almost four to one. But … Read more
MPs from both main parties have argued for the extension of the stamp duty holiday, to allow people who are already in the process of buying a home to benefit from tax savings of up to £15,000. The issue was debated in a virtual House of Commons session yesterday, which saw the majority of the … Read more
With the stamp duty holiday set to end on 31 March, some home buyers are pushing to complete their purchases in order to benefit from a tax saving of up to £15,000. The threshold for paying the tax was increased in July last year from £125,000 to £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland, in an … Read more
First-time buyers in Vaduz, Bern and Copenhagen can save up for a home the quickest, according to a new report – while those in Zagreb and Monaco could have to wait a whopping 25 years. The research by housebuilder Barratt Homes, which used statistics from the Numbeo global index, looked at how fast people could … Read more
Hope for home buyers? A 110k-strong petition forces parliament to debate a six-month extension to stamp duty holiday The tax break, which saves buyers up to £15,000, was due to end on 31 March More than 100k sign a petition calling for an extension to September This means that MPs must debate the issue in … Read more
Average asking prices for homes started to fall in the past month, as sellers look to lure in buyers before the end of the stamp duty holiday on 31 March, according to new findings. Asking prices fell by £2,887, or 0.9 per cent over the past month, property website Rightmove’s new data has revealed. The … Read more