Posts with tag: interest rates

Mortgage Approvals Hit Eight-Month High

Published On: January 5, 2017 at 10:15 am

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Mortgage approvals for house purchases hit an eight-month high in November, according to the latest figures from the Bank of England (BoE).

Some 67,505 mortgage approvals were recorded in November, up from 67,371 in October and the highest number seen since March, when the figure reached 70,079. It is believed that the peak witnessed in March was the result of a rush of investors hoping to beat the introduction of the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge for additional homes in April.

Mortgage Approvals Hit Eight-Month High

Mortgage Approvals Hit Eight-Month High

Despite November’s high number of mortgage approvals, the level was still down on an annual basis, from 70,123 the previous year.

However, the value of lending was higher in November, at £12.3 billion, up from £11.8 billion in October and £12 billion in November 2015.

The Director of Edinburgh Mortgage Advice, Mark Dyason, considers the cause of the increase: “There is a growing sense among existing UK homeowners that the first rate rise for a very long time could be on the horizon. More recently, this feeling has been compounded by the quarter point hike in the US in December.

“Most people now accept that rates are unlikely to get any better and are taking action to lock in to the competitive rates that are still, for the time being, available.”

He continues: “The sense that time is running out on the best rates, coupled with a general softening in prices, especially in prime areas of the country, has kept the market ticking over.

“Ironically, the ongoing uncertainty around the full impact of Brexit has spurred many people into action.”

He concludes: “The philosophy many people have adopted appears to be one of take action now while conditions are at least in their favour.”

But are landlords continuing to buy properties for rent? The latest data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which reveals that the number of landlords in mortgage arrears has hit a two-year high, suggests that too many investors have locked into purchases that they cannot afford.

At a time when tax and legislation changes are shaking the private rental sector, it could be a good idea for investors to hold back on purchases before assessing what the future will hold for their portfolios.

With mortgage approvals high across the house purchase sector, it looks that the general property market is still holding strong.

Housing Supply Hits Six-Month High, Reports NAEA

Published On: September 26, 2016 at 10:09 am

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Housing supply has hit a six-month high, says the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) in its August Housing Market report.

Housing Supply Hits Six-Month High, Reports NAEA

Housing Supply Hits Six-Month High, Reports NAEA

Signalling that the property market is moving in the right direction, the NAEA found that the number of homes up for sale rose to an average of 41 per estate agent branch in August – the highest level recorded since March this year, when agents reported an average of 54 properties per branch.

The number of sales to first time buyers also rose in August, from 25% of all sales in July to 28%. Annually, this figure is up by eight percentage points, as just 20% of total sales went to first time buyers in August 2015.

The report also found that two in five (39%) estate agents expect demand to grow following last month’s interest rate cut by the Bank of England, while a quarter (25%) think that first time buyers will benefit from the reduction.

In August, the number of house hunters registered per NAEA member branch dropped slightly, to an average of 287, from 298 in the previous month.

Additionally, three quarters (76%) of properties sold per NAEA member branch were sold for less than the original asking price, down by three percentage points on July, when 79% of properties sold for less than the asking price.

The Managing Director of the NAEA, Mark Hayward, comments on the data: “Following a few months of uncertainty in the market, it’s more than encouraging to see things moving in the right direction. Although we have seen a slight drop in demand, the fact that supply has risen means more choice for those that are looking for a new home, and we can see the impact of that because the rise in sales to first time buyers was higher than we normally see in August.”

He adds: “News from the Treasury this month that Government deposits on the Lifetime ISA can be used towards the initial deposit to secure a property and the impact of interest rate cuts will also raise confidence in first time buyers that now is a good time to be looking to buy.”

The news regarding the Lifetime ISA arrived as an investigation revealed that Government bonuses given through the Help to Buy ISA scheme cannot be used as an initial deposit on a property purchase.

Paragon mortgages announces new buy-to-let fixes

Published On: September 21, 2016 at 11:37 am

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Paragon Mortgages has today moved to launch a new range of five-year, fixed-rate mortgage products for both individual and limited company landlords.

These new mortgage rates at 75% loan-to-value begin from 3.75%, with the products including funding for both self-contained homes, alongside more complex properties.

Lower interest rates

John Heron, managing director of Paragon Mortgages, observed: ‘with the outlook for interest rates now much lower for longer, we have been able to deliver these longer term fixed rates aimed at professional landlords including those borrowing through limited companies and those purchasing HMO’s.’[1]

‘These are the first products we have launched which feature an ICR that reflects lower interest rate expectations and the reduced risk that customers on longer term fixed rates benefit from,’ he added.[1]

Paragon mortgages announces new buy-to-let fixes

Paragon mortgages announces new buy-to-let fixes

The new longer term fixed rate products include a different interest coverage calculation based on an interest rate forecast of 4%. This is with the interest coverage ratio (ICR) set at a minimum of 125% for single self-contained units and 130% for more difficult HMO properties.

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/9/new-five-year-btl-fixes-from-paragon

 

Bank of England Leaves Base Rate at Record Low 0.25%

Published On: September 16, 2016 at 9:17 am

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Yesterday, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to leave the base rate at the record low level of 0.25%, in line with analysts’ forecasts.

Bank of England Leaves Base Rate at Record Low 0.25%

Bank of England Leaves Base Rate at Record Low 0.25%

However, the MPC did announce that the rate could be cut again further in the year.

Last month, the Bank cut the base rate for the first time since 2009 and approved another £170 billion of monetary stimulus to stop the economy falling back into recession, following the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

However, the Bank of England did hint that a rate cut could come later this year, in order to support a weakening economy.

In the minutes of its latest MPC meeting, the Bank said: “A majority of members expected to support a further cut in bank rate to its effective lower bound at one of the MPC’s forthcoming meetings during the course of the year.”

The MPC also acknowledged that in recent weeks, economic data has been stronger than expected since August’s rate cut.

The Bank’s announcement arrives after recent figures suggest that the economy has so far held up well in the wake of the EU referendum.

Additionally, the founder and CEO of eMoov, Russell Quirk, reports that the property market has continued to strengthen following the Brexit vote.

He comments on the Bank’s decision to leave the base rate at 0.25%: “Today’s decision to leave interest rates frozen at 0.25% will no doubt continue to strengthen an already resilient post-Brexit UK property market. With property prices across the UK continuing their upward trend since the decision to leave the EU, it will come as welcome news for those looking to get a foot on the ladder in an already inflated market, due to the availability of tantalising mortgage products currently on the market.

“It should act as further reassurance to UK buyers and sellers that the property market is in good health and will, no doubt, help to boost this positive sentiment. It will be interesting to see if an increase does come in November, although by that time, any shackles of uncertainty should be well and truly shaken off.”

What do you think of the Bank’s decision?

Buy-to-let mortgage costs fall by 8%

Published On: September 12, 2016 at 8:57 am

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A number of buy-to-let landlords are continuing to benefit from the ongoing reductions of mortgage costs.

Lenders across the industry are still cutting percentage points off their most generous deals in an attempt to attract more business from buy-to-let landlords looking to remortgage property.

Falls

New market analysis from Mortgage Brain shows that the costs of buy-to-let mortgages have fallen by up to 8% in the last six months.

Data from the report shows that the cost of a typical five-year fixed buy-to-let loan with a LTV of 70% is 8% less than in March 2016.

The current average rate of 2.8% indicates that there is a potential for yearly savings of £738 on a mortgage worth £150,000.

Economists have predicted that the Bank of England is likely to announce a further cut to the base rate in November. Some have forecasted that the rate could be cut to as little as 0.1%, meaning that mortgage costs could fall even further at the end of 2016.

Buy-to-let mortgage costs fall by 8%

Buy-to-let mortgage costs fall by 8%

Interesting future

Mark Lofthouse, CEO of Mortgage Brain, noted, ‘with further interest rate cuts predicted by the Bank of England it will be interesting to see what happens to mortgage rates and costs over the next few months.’[1]

‘There’s no doubt though that on the whole borrowers and potential buy-to-let investors are in a great position to take advantage of the low rates and cost reductions that we’re seeing,’ he added.[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/9/buy-to-let-mortgage-costs-down-by-as-much-as-8

Property Market Hasn’t Been Toppled by Brexit, Reveals Nationwide

Published On: August 31, 2016 at 8:49 am

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The property market has not been toppled by June’s Brexit vote, or the introduction of higher Stamp Duty rates on additional homes in April, reveal new figures from Nationwide.

The latest House Price Index from the building society shows that house prices rose by an average of 0.6% in August compared to July, while annual house price growth is up to 5.6%, from 5.2% in the previous month.

The average house price in the UK now stands at £206,145, up from £205,715 in July.

Although the property market has experienced growth over the past month, the annual rate of inflation still stands within the 3-6% range that has been prevalent since early 2015.

The Chief Economist at Nationwide, Robert Gardner, notes that the recent pick-up in price growth is at odds with signs that property market activity has slowed over the past few months.

He reports that new buyer enquiries have softened as a result of the 3% Stamp Duty surcharge for buy-to-let landlords and second homebuyers, as well as the uncertainty caused by the EU referendum. Nationwide data shows that the number of mortgage approvals for house purchase plummeted to an 18-month low in July.

Despite this, Gardner adds that the decline in housing demand has been matched by weakness in property supply. Surveyors have reported that instructions to sell have dropped, as the stock of properties on the market remains close to 30-year lows.

“This helps to explain why the pace of house price growth has remained broadly stable,” he says.

Property Market Hasn't Been Toppled by Brexit, Reveals Nationwide

Property Market Hasn’t Been Toppled by Brexit, Reveals Nationwide

The future of the property market

So what does the future hold for the property market?

Gardner comments: “What happens next on the demand side will be determined, to a large extent, by the outlook for the labour market and confidence amongst prospective buyers.

“It is encouraging that the unemployment rate remained at a ten-year low in the three months to June, though labour market trends tend to lag developments in the wider economy. It is also positive that retail sales increased at a healthy rate in July, up almost 6% compared to the previous year, even though consumer confidence fell sharply during the month.”

Nonetheless, he continues: “However, business surveys suggest that the manufacturing, services and construction sectors all slowed sharply in July, and, if sustained, this is likely to have a negative impact on the labour market and household confidence.

“Most forecasters, including the Bank of England, expect the economy to show little growth over the remainder of the year. Indeed, these concerns prompted the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to implement a range of stimulus measures at the start of August, which will provide support to economic activity and the housing market.”

Interest rate cut

Gardner also looks into how the interest rate cut will affect the property market.

He says: “The MPC’s decision to lower UK interest rates from 0.5% to a new low of 0.25% will provide an immediate benefit to many mortgage borrowers, though for most, the boost will be fairly modest.

“The proportion of mortgage balances on variable rate products is lower than average at present (c.45% compared to an average of around 60% since 2001) and the typical saving from a 0.25% cut in interest rates is around £15 per month.

“The MPC’s stimulus measures will also provide indirect support to the housing market, and not just by boosting wider economic activity. For example, the decision to purchase an additional £60 billion of UK Government bonds will put downward pressure on long-term interest rates, which will, in turn, help to lower the cost of fixed rate mortgages, which have already decline to new all-time lows.”

He adds: “The creation of the new Term Funding Scheme is also important, as it means that lenders will have guaranteed access to low cost funding from the Bank of England, which should help ensure the supply of credit is maintained.”

The founder and CEO of online estate agent eMoov.co.uk, Russell Quirk, comments on the new findings: “Now two full months on from Brexit D-day and still no inkling that there has been any immediate impact on the UK housing market, in fact, quite the opposite.

“House prices have increased 0.6% in August, a marginal increase, but double that when compared to Nationwide’s figures for this time a year ago. So rather than the changes to Stamp Duty and the leave vote toppling the property market, we’re actually in a stronger position than we were in August 2015.”

He continues: “This continued increase has been attributed to a slowdown in both buyer demand and housing supply, which has helped to keep the scales finely balanced. However, this cooling in the market on both sides of the fence highlights that any steam lost is almost certainly a seasonal adjustment.

“With the summer holidays now drawing to a close and life returning to normality for many, I expect we will see the UK housing market kick it up a gear as we head into September.”

Ian Thomas, the co-founder and Director of online mortgage lender LendInvest, also responds to the index: “That house prices went up last month, despite the post-Brexit uncertainty, is a reflection of the sharp imbalance between supply and demand of property in the UK. The House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs suggested we need to build 300,000 homes a year to have a moderating effect on house prices, but last week’s housebuilding figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show we are nowhere near that.

“The Government must grasp this issue by the horns and do more to encourage homebuilding. It is clear that hoping that the biggest housebuilders will be able to build us out of this crisis is just wishful thinking, and grass roots changes are needed.”

Worryingly, a recent show on Channel 4 uncovered the chronic shortage of new build homes across the country. More details of what the shocking documentary discovered can be found here: /extent-britains-housing-crisis/