News & Events
50. Whiteley Department Now Open
Walker & Waterer's Whiteley Dept is now officially open.
With a dedicated team specialising solely in the Whiteley area, your property can now get the full attention it deserves.
Along with a forthcoming advertising campaign, we now have our Whiteley properties advertised in the window of the busy Spar Shop near the school on Yew Tree Drive.
So if you would like to see your property advertised here, and in all our usual publications, websites etc. Please call the office on 01489 556900
For all instructions received in Whiteley whilst England remain in the World Cup tournament, we will offer a 33% discount of our standard sole agency fee's*.
*subject to terms and conditions
Last modified: 07/06/2006
49. May house price growth 'sluggish'
UK house price growth was "sluggish" in May, according to the latest survey from the Nationwide Building Society.
Prices in the three months to May rose by 1.6% compared with the previous quarter, down from the 1.7% rate seen in the three months to April.
The average house price in the UK is now £164,632, up by £7,500 in the year.
Further evidence of a possible slowdown came in figures from the Bank of England.
They showed that the number of mortgages approved for house purchase dropped in April to 106,000.
That was down by 8,000 from the previous month and was significantly lower than the average of 115,000 over the preceding six months.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said that a survey of its members also suggested that the market was not returning to a boom.
"A modest slowdown in the housing market is backed up by RICS estate agents who have reported that new enquiries from would-be buyers rose in April at the slowest pace in almost a year" a spokesman said.
Cooling off?
The Nationwide, the UK's largest building society, said there were signs that the market may now be starting to cool.
House prices have generally been accelerating since the start of the year.
But the society's chief economist Fionnuala Earley said: "The numbers of house purchase approvals remain well above their long term average, but they have begun to moderate since the start of the year. We expect them to cool further during the summer to around their long-term trend. "
She also pointed out that enquiries from new buyers at estate agents have also been falling since the end of last year.
The Nationwide added that further demand for houses would now depend on whether the Bank of England increases interest rates this year.
"In our view, the decision is still very close," said Nationwide group economist Fionnuala Earley.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5032368.stm
Last modified: 01/06/2006
48. Loft overhaul boosts house price
A loft conversion or having an extension built are two of the most effective ways to boost the value of a property, a survey has suggested.
On average, an extension adds 12% and a loft conversion 10.9% to a property's value, the Nationwide Building Society survey found.
Adding a garage or extra bedroom boosts value by 8% and 5% respectively.
But the group added that regardless of work done to a property, location was key to its price on the open market.
"A house in the best neighbourhood can command a price more than a third higher than a similar house in an average area," said Fionnuala Earley, Nationwide group economist.
Nationwide identified other factors that can detract from a property's value.
It said property without central heating could reduce the price of a home by nearly 7%.
And having no garage or drive can knock about 6% off a property's asking price.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5020404.stm
Last modified: 27/05/2006
47. House prices show sharp increase
House price inflation rose by 2.0% in April and by 4.4% in the first four months of 2006, the Halifax bank, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, has said.
April's price rise was considerably up on March's figure of 0.9%.
The result was to push up the annual UK rate of house price inflation from 6.2% in March to 8% in April.
The bank expects prices to rise further over the summer but then level off later in the year due to a "softening" of the labour market.
April's strong price rise took many economists by surprise, particularly as the most recent data from the Nationwide had indicated that the housing market was slowing.
Howard Archer, chief economist at Global Insight, described the results of the Halifax survey as a "real shock that will heighten concern that prices are gaining excessive upward momentum."
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee will announce its UK interest rate decision later on Thursday.
It is widely expected to keep rates unchanged amid growing uncertainty about the future direction of the economy.
Buoyant
The Halifax's calculations indicate the price of the average property in the UK rose from £175,441 in March to £178,992 in April.
Despite the sharp average monthly rise, Halifax stuck to their recently expressed view that the market will cool later in the year.
"Whilst the market may remain relatively buoyant over the coming few months, we expect the recent softening in the labour market and the continuing high level of house prices in relation to earnings to curb demand," Martin Ellis, Halifax chief economist said.
Mr Ellis added that higher council tax and utility bills would also dampen down house price inflation.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4971520.stm
Last modified: 04/05/2006
46. Property market 'still buoyant'
The UK property market remains buoyant, according to the latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Prices in England, Wales and Scotland rose in March for the fifth month in a row, RICS said.
Among its members, 13% more of them saw prices rise than saw them fall as the industry showed "a lot of optimism".
The number of potential buyers on the books of RICS members has also gone up for the tenth month in a row.
RICS spokesman Ian Perry, said: "People traditionally put houses on the market in the new year and sales pick up around Easter.
"Agents are clearly expecting this year to be no exception and our figures are showing a lot of optimism in the industry."
The RICS survey found that prices were rising fastest in London, the south-west of England and in Scotland.
Further evidence of strength in the housing market has come from the latest survey from the property website Rightmove.
Rightmove said that in the four weeks to 9 April prices in England and Wales rose by 1.1%.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4918170.stm
Last modified: 18/04/2006
45. House prices show March increase
House price inflation has continued to rise in March, according to the latest survey from the Halifax bank.
It says prices rose by 0.9% during the month, pushing up the annual rate of house price inflation to 6.2%.
But the bank added that there were signs that housing market demand was "beginning to level off" due to rising utility and council tax bills.
The Halifax's calculations indicate the price of the average property in the UK topped £175,000 for the first time.
Pressure on householders' finances from the recent hikes in utility and council tax bills are all expected to curb demand.
Martin Ellis, Halifax
The Halifax also revealed that the gap between property prices in the north and those in the south is narrower than it has been for more than eight years.
Average house prices in the south of the UK are currently £79,400 higher than those in the north.
Losing impetus
The annual rate of house price inflation across the UK has now been rising steadily since last summer, with the north west, Yorkshire and Wales leading the charge.
At the other end of the scale, house prices have grown the least, over the past year, in the south-west, south-east and east Midlands regions.
But there are signs that the market maybe losing some impetus, Halifax said.
"The weakening in the labour market, the continuing high level of house prices in relation to earnings and pressure on householders' finances from the recent hikes in utility and council tax bills are all expected to curb demand," Martin Ellis, chief economist at the Halifax, said.
Halifax expects the average property prices to increase by 3% during 2006.
Meanwhile, Nationwide said that during the first three months of the year house prices rose throughout all parts of the UK.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4882128.stmLast modified: 06/04/2006
44. House prices see 'spring bounce'
House price inflation has continued its recent pick up, according to the latest survey from the Nationwide.
The building society said prices rose by 1.1% in March, pushing the annual rate of inflation back up to 5.3%. The average property now costs £162,000.
In the three months to March, prices were 2.2% higher than in the previous three months, which was the fastest spurt since September 2004.
However, the Nationwide played down the prospects of a renewed boom in prices.
"The pick up in prices in March continues the upward trend we have seen since the autumn, which has been supported by a solid return of buyers" said chief economist Fionnuala Earley.
But she pointed to other factors that might keep prices in check.
"Utility and council tax bills are rising and on top of this, affordability continues to be squeezed as house prices rises further" she said.
Gathering pace
The Nationwide's survey puts it in line with other recent survey evidence from its lending rival the Halifax and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
The Halifax reported earlier this month that prices were rising at an annual rate of 5.5%.
The ODPM put the annual rate of property inflation to January at 4.3%.
The common theme among many of the property market surveys and reports is that the market in London, the traditional driver of activity, have been picking up sharply in recent months.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4859648.stm
Last modified: 30/03/2006
43. Mortgage approvals rising again
The number of new mortgages being approved for home buying has gone up again, reflecting a continued pick-up in the property market.
According to figures from the British Bankers Association (BBA), nearly 58,000 new mortgages were approved for house purchase in February.
That was 28% higher than in January and 22% higher than a year ago.
Recently, lenders like the Halifax and the Nationwide have said that house prices are rising again.
Stronger indicators
David Dooks, director of statistics at the BBA, said: "The comparative weakness of the mortgage market in the first half of last year means that current indicators of activity - such as gross lending and approvals - are much stronger than they were twelve months earlier when the housing market was somewhat subdued.
"But they are by no means yet approaching the levels of activity seen in 2004," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the recent pick-up in property prices was underlined by figures from the consultancy Hometrack.
It said the market was being driven by a revival in house prices in London.
This helped to push up prices in England and Wales by 0.4% in March.
That was the fourth monthly increase in a row recorded by Hometrack.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4848654.stm
Last modified: 27/03/2006
42. House price inflation speeds up
Prices are picking up
UK house prices are accelerating, according to figures from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
Its latest monthly survey of new mortgage loans shows that prices rose by 4.3% in the year to January.
That was higher than the 2.9% rate recorded in December and is the highest since the middle of last year.
The ODPM's survey, of 45,000 new mortgages, echoes recent studies by the Halifax and Nationwide which have reported that prices are picking up.
The ODPM says prices have now risen by 3.1% in the past three months, pushing the average house price up to £188,191.
Regional trends
The ODPM highlighted that house price inflation in January was positive in all regions of the country, the first time this has happened since July last year.
ANNUAL HOUSE PRICE INFLATION - JANUARY 2006
UK: 4.3%
England: 3.7%
Wales: 6.4%
Scotland: 10.5%
Northern Ireland: 12.5%
English regions:
North East: 7.6%
North West: 4.4%
Yorks & Humber: 9.3%
East Midlands: 0.8%
West Midlands: 4.8%
East: 2.3%
London: 5.3%
South East: 2.4%
South West: 0.7%
Source: ODPM
Even so, the ODPM found that price increases were not uniform across the country.
In England, prices rose by 2.1% in the year to December, but by 3.7% in the year to January.
Wales also saw an increase, with inflation hitting 6.4% in January, up from 5.1% the previous month.
But in Scotland house price inflation dipped to 10.5% from 10.9% in December, while in Northern Ireland the level fell from 12.9% to 12.5% in January.
Link1 : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4800872.stm
Last modified: 14/03/2006
41. W&W can now offer you 3D Walkthroughs
Walker and Waterer can now offer you virtual 3D Walkthrough's of your home. As well as offering a floorplan service.
If you are thinking of moving and would like to hear more about the services we offer please contact either office for more information.
Link1 : http://www.metropix.co.uk/p/47638
Last modified: 22/02/2006
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