affordable homes
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Housing Market
Political leaders vow to tackle housing crisis
High residential property prices are the single biggest concern among home-hunters, a new Rightmove survey reveals. The latest data from the property portal shows that asking prices for homes on sale in England and Wales hit an all-time of £288,133, on average, in the month to early April, pushed up by a drop in the number of properties on the market, creating a lack of choice in the market, which incidentally, is the second biggest concern for house-hunters. Miles Shipside (right), Rightmove Director and Housing Market Analyst, commented, “April’s Rightmove House Price Index reported an all-time high in asking prices this week of £286,133, setting an interesting challenge for political leaders. Failure to meet house-building targets since the eighties, nineties and noughties to match forecast housing demand has been a major factor in upwards price pressure both in the property sales and private rented sectors. “ As the cost of housing is a key concern for many home-hunters Rightmove asked David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg for their proposed solutions to make more affordable homes available, and what else they would do to try and solve the UK’s housing problems. Here are extracts from the interviews with the three…
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Housing Market
First-time buyers return to the market
Almost a third of all residential property sales in February were made to first time buyers, suggesting that market conditions are improving for first-time buyers, according to a new report. The findings, by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), revealed that its member agents found that 30 per cent of homes were sold to first-time buyers, the highest figure since September last year – and since records began six years ago. It is clear from the findings in the report that things are starting to ease for first-time buyers, and Mark Hayward (left), Managing Director at the NAEA, believes that this could be down to reduced property prices or more accessible funding, especially following December’s stamp duty reforms. “We will all be waiting with bated breath to see if the first time buyer figures increase following the new Help to Buy ISA, and whether we see real momentum in the market,” he said. “It still remains notoriously hard to get cut-through in the property market, especially for first time buyers, so any green shoots are encouraging.” The findings in February show that demand for property rose, with 366 house hunter’s registered per NAEA member branch, up from 353 in…
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Guest Blogs
General election
Brandon Lewis, The Minister of State for Housing and Planning, reflects on what the Coalition Government has achieved on the housing front and gives us an insight into the Conservative Party’s strategy if elected in May.
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