Current UK Property Market
Thursday, September 10th, 2009Due to the current economic climate, in recent months, the UK housing market has been in dramatic decline. A staggering 16.6% decline has been seen, to date with a total of 1.3% of that amassed during January 2009.
There are many articles online which give you an idea about the future of the UKs economy. It seems unlikely that any improvement will be seen for some time to come, if anything the condition of the housing market looks set to decline further still.
In fact, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the UK are predicting that in 2009 we will see a further 10% decrease in the number of homes being sold. They are currently reporting that less than one home is being sold each week, which is the worst condition the housing market has faced in the last 30 years.
Although house prices will begin to rise again in the year 2011 a further 10% decrease is expected this year, therefore people will have to recognize that the price of their house is currently much less than it was not so many years ago.
Although the market is in this weakened state, there are many people who are still willing to buy. For those who are looking to invest in property this may be the ideal time to do so. With house prices still falling and so many people being faced with homes being repossessed, deals are certainly available.
Due to the current economic climate, house repossession is presently at an all time high. People are struggling to meet their repayments and finding themselves in very difficult situations. It has been predicted that a further 34,000 homes will be repossessed, within the UK, this year.
So what are the main reasons why we have seen such a big decrease in the value of properties in the current UK property market?
(1) Mortgage companies are lending less and less, so people are finding it very difficult to find a mortgage.
(2) In order to obtain a mortgage, finance companies require the buyer to provide a much larger deposit. So for first time buyers, being able to get a mortgage to buy their first home has virtually become impossible.
(3) Many people expect house prices to fall further making them hold off buying now.
(4) Although cuts in the banks base rates have helped to reduce how much peoples mortgages cost, this wont actually help to stop the prices of houses falling further. Even with these cuts, the average cost of a mortgage has not altered that much because 2 or 3 years ago people were remortgaging due to great deals being offered. What many of us do not realise is that over time the banks have been increasing their profit margins.
These are challenging times not just for property buyers, but also for builders and estate agents. A lot of these jobs are going because of the down fall, making the UK economy even worse.
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Tips on how to rent out your house while you are trying to sell it at the same time. This video is part of the Real Estate Confidential show hosted by Brittany Ham.