Archive for September, 2009

Two summers ago, the rise of the estate agent seemed unstoppable. Branded cars and in-house coffee bars were de rigueur at agent offices, and sellers happily paid out for their services. But now a savvier breed of property owner is emerging – disillusioned by agency fees and the service they recieve, they are using the internet to cut out the middle man from the buying and selling process.

There is a lot written about house prices, and it’s usually avidly read. If you own a home you are interested in its value (no matter how much you protest you’re not), and if you aspire to own a home you are interested in what’s happening to prices.

New UK property to let: Haxby Road, YORK – 2 Bedroom, Terraced – £625 – http://tinyurl.com/y8azc3c

The onset of the Autumn moving season sees new sellers asking an average of 0.6% more for their properties, according to the latest Rightmove House Price Index for September 2009. Rightmove has also recorded the lowest average stock levels per branch for 18 months, with 29% more properties coming off the market than coming to the market.

Housing Minister John Healey today called on housing associations to raise their game and do more to create new apprenticeship opportunities and help people get on the housing ladder and stay in their homes during the downturn.