Are house prices more affordable?
WE covered the different measures used when assessing the housing market last week, due to the discrepancy between house prices rising at ‘record highs’, versus the very low volume of housing sales, and the news that the number of estate agents declaring insolvency jumped by a third last year. We know UK residential property transactions […]
Is the housing market high?
THE housing market is at a record high it says. Well, that depends on who is writing the headlines, and for what reason, and from what source. Firstly, there are a few measures for the housing market in terms of an index (e.g. Rightmove, Office of National Statistics (ONS) etc) and you should stick to the […]
What will new government’s impact be on the stock and housing market?
What will the next government’s impact be on the stock and housing market? It’s a question I get asked every election, and for a full answer, I would need the manifestos of all parties (but even then, they don’t stick to it). We are staring down the twin barrels of large government debt interest payments […]
UK House Prices… Part Three
LET’S look at UK house prices this week. In my final column on the UK housing market, I thought I would clarify all the final smaller points that are either a drag on the market, or support it. The previous two can be read online of course. There was a marked spike in UK house […]
Mortgage market is looking healthy according to Cornish financial planning firm
A Cornish financial advice firm has been pleasantly surprised to see an increase in the number of people taking out mortgages. The national picture is very different to the one Worldwide Financial Planning has seen, which shows a clear improvement from 2009 to 2010. Many of the transactions that took place were remortgages or refinancing […]
What exactly is the credit crunch?
Managing Director, Worldwide Financial Planning, Writes:
Ah there is a question. Well in political terms, the credit crunch is a damn good opportunity to dump everything that’s gone wrong on an inanimate object that no-one can blame.
The Credit Crunch – What on earth is that then?
Managing Director, Worldwide Financial Planning, Writes:
Somehow, somewhere, someone has managed to swing poor lending processes and swashbuckling investment decisions by banks, over to Mr poor mortgage payer in the good old USA. That’s a bit like trying to glue jelly to a tree.
How do you decide what to invest into?
Reader Writes:
How do you decide what to invest into? I was reading recently on a shares forum that banking shares could be a good option.
History doesn’t repeat itself but it sometimes rhymes
Well it eventually arrived and arrived in style. That is of course the housing market smash. What was most surprising was how long it was allowed to move beyond a reasonable price before it imploded.
Stamp Duty Changes – Helping the bottom rung
Reader Writes:
Do you think the governments changes will boost the housing market?
In short, not really. The changes are obviously at the bottom end, and will support the first rung of the ladder. I am not a ladder person, but no-one would go to the top if the first one was broken. Each layer feeds the other and without each layer the whole thing falls apart.
What are cyclical assets?
It is worth remembering that Residential and commercial property are cyclical assets. ‘Cyclical’ means they have their day, then they don’t, and so on.
The State of the Economy… What would Albert say?
Albert Einstein once said: “Only two things in life are certain, the universe is infinite and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former”.