Elated

March may have seen an increase in buyers looking at houses in Wales but estate agents are not optimistic about the future of the market.
 
A report released today tues by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) suggests the unusually warm weather and a rush of first-time buyers trying to beat a stamp duty deadline gave the housing market a boost last month.
 
New buyer inquiries edged up in March, with 4% more estate agents in Wales reporting increases rather than decreases in demand.
 
RICS chief economist Simon Rubinsohn said: “Demand saw a slight boost in March as many first-time buyers looked to beat the stamp duty holiday deadline.
 
“There has been a gentle increase in activity across the market in the early part of the year but it remains to be seen whether this can continue, given the changes in the Budget and ongoing problems affecting the economy.”
 
David Baker of David Baker & Co Ltd, in the Vale of Glamorgan, told RICS: “The market is improving, we had more viewings and sales over the last four weeks than for a number of years, and more houses coming onto the market.
 
“[There are] very good signs of an improvement happening.”
 
Estate agents in Wales were also reporting an increase in people putting their homes on the market, with 3% more estate agents in Wales reporting increases rather than decreases in new instructions.
 
Surveyors in Wales are now reporting the highest levels of stock with an average of around 108 properties each, up from around 95 two months ago.
 
However, new enquiries and new properties on the market may not have translated into sales, with 4% more estate agents seeing levels of newly agreed sales fall over the past three months, with an average of around 14 sales per surveyor in Wales over the past three months.
 
Realistic pricing was seen as the key to selling a property in the current climate.
 
Delyth Davies, from Clee Tomkinson Francis, Carmarthen, said: “Reality is dawning with some vendors – realistically priced properties are attracting good interest and sales are being agreed. Long may it continue.”
 
Prices appear to still be on a downward trend with 19% more estate agents report prices falling than rising, although this a much smaller gap than in previous months.
 
Estate agents in Wales are most likely to be pessimistic about future sales, with 8% more thinking they are going to fall than rise, a much more downbeat assessment than the previous two months where rising sales were predicted.
 
Around 24% more estate agents are predicting future price falls than anticipating rises, with the lack of lending by the banks attracting the blame for the slow market.
 
David K Jones, of Jones & Redfearn, in Rhyl, Denbighshire, said: “Unlike petrol stations we haven’t got people queuing up to buy houses but this is not because they don’t want to, rather because as for the last two years banks are still hoarding their money.
 
“Nonetheless, activity in general is increasing through realism from sellers.
 
“First time buyers still need help with deposits and until then the market will remain as lukewarm as a non-VATable pasty.”
 
Kelvin Francis from Kelvin Francis Ltd, Cardiff, agreed the lack of first time buyers was causing problems.
 
He said: “[There is] still strong demand for traditional three-bedroom semi-detached properties, but the difficulties first-time buyers in particular are having, is holding back the market.
 
“General optimism among buyers is good but the recent budget was disappointing in ways to stimulate finances for the market.”

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/04/10/estate-agents-remain-pessimistic-despite-rise-in-house-sales-last-month-91466-30724715/#ixzz1riKmoiMv

Cheaper mortgages provide window of opportunity

Says Guild Agent David Baker & Company

Local estate agent David Baker & Company has reported a strong start to 2012 in terms of enquiries, which they believe is at least partly due to the fact that homeowners are enjoying the cheapest mortgages on record, thanks to historically low interest rates. The public, it seems, are realising that this current mortgage opportunity is just too good to let pass.

For potential buyers, this represents a valuable window of opportunity to secure highly favourable mortgage deals which may look very cheap in the years ahead. A number of lenders actually cut their interest rates in 2011 as they battled for share in an increasingly competitive market, but this will not last forever. Now might just be the best time to take a small risk and for home seekers to get on with their life – which is surely the biggest reward of all.

The average mortgage payment is currently £494 per month, which compares to £601 at the height of the credit crunch some 4 years ago. In terms of affordability, the current figure represents 15.4% of average take home pay compared to 20.5% in 2008.

The number of first time buyers also increased markedly last year compared to 2010 as banks relaxed some of their lending restrictions; there were 57,301 loans of 85% or more, up from 43,379 in the previous 12 months.

It is expected that interest rates will remain at 0.5% (now 34 consecutive months) for some time to come, as the Government attempts to help support the economy via quantitative easing and other financial instruments.

David Baker, from David Baker & Company comments; “Mortgage rationing, a significant minimum deposit, and a good personal credit history remain key to securing the best deals. But for those that can pass these hurdles, the offers are extremely attractive by any financial measure.

If you wait for the perfect house, at the ideal price, with the lowest possible financing costs and when the economic outlook is favourable – then you may just never make the move. The children grow up and personal circumstances and requirements change.

In Penarth at present, house prices seem to be holding steady as they have done for the last 18 months. This is a good time to buy whether you are a first time buyer or wanting to buy a bigger property as the family grow up. Buying a property is still one of the best investments you can make.”

The news article below comes from the Press Association as the Land Registry report a 1.3% decline in average house prices. Penarth continues to remain stable however and we are confident that the market will continue in this manner in 2012.

House prices fall 1.3% year-on-year

Official figures have revealed a fall in house prices and the number of sales

There were further signs of deterioration in the housing market on Monday when official figures revealed falls in prices and the number of sales.

The Land Registry said the average price of a house fell 1.3% to £160,384 last month compared to the same period a year ago, although the figure was unchanged from November.

And it also revealed a 6% decline in completions in October, the most recent month for which figures are available, bringing to an end two months of rises. There was a 10% fall in the number of million-pound properties sold. The figures will fuel fears that the weak state of the economy and banks lending less money were hurting the market.

London, which has been supported by strong demand from overseas buyers, was the only part of the UK to avoid an annual decline in prices, with a rise of 2.8% to £345,298.

The North East saw the biggest annual decline, of 7.1% to £99,464, compounded by a 1.9% fall between November and December. There were also significant annual falls for Wales, the North West and West Midlands, while the South East saw a decline of just 0.2%.

The figures come after a study by property analyst Hometrack revealed that house prices have failed to record any monthly increase for a year and a half.

House prices remained flat in January, following a 0.2% decrease in both December and November, the survey of 1,500 agents and surveyors found. It reported a slow start to the year generally, with 10.5% fewer new buyers registering with agents compared with December, 5.4% fewer properties listed and 14.3% fewer sales agreed.

Howard Archer, chief economist at IHS Global Insight, believes prices will fall 5% in 2012 amid low wage growth, rising unemployment and "major concerns over the economic outlook".

He predicted that banks' ability to lend may be hit by difficulties in money markets but said the squeeze on consumers' incomes should start to ease in the second half of the year as inflation falls, which could help prices stabilise towards the end of the year.

He added: "However, unemployment is likely to rise appreciably further and wage growth looks set to remain muted so the overall environment will still be very tough for households."

Independent Expertise

As Independent Estate Agents, we are experts in your local area and are an integral part of the communities we serve. We are best placed to advise you about the local environment, provide you with accurate valuations and notify you of specific market trends affecting local property prices and sales. Our businesses really do succeed or fail by the quality of the service we provide, and be our ability to successfully deliver sales at the best possible price.

We understand that choosing the right Estate Agent, pricing your home correctly and ensuring your home is presented in the best possible light can really help to sell your home quickly and effectively.

London & International Market

Not all of your buyers will be from the local area! Many London and International buyers are interested in second homes or investment properties around the country and you may have just the property they are looking for!

Guild Members are able to provide you with access to the lucrative National and International market through our prestigious showrooms on London's Park Lane using state of the art technology to display your properties professionally.

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Sales activity edges upwards from depressed levels.

• House prices decline at similar pace to September
• New buyer enquiries and agreed sales edge upwards
• Sales expectations remain in positive territory

The October RICS Housing Market Survey continues to show the net price balance in negative territory with 24% more surveyors reporting falling rather than rising prices over the last three months. This is not dissimilar from the September reading of -23%. However, it is significant that more than half of all respondents actually indicated that prices were broadly stable over the period and of those reporting a decline, almost three quarters suggested that the extent of the fall was somewhere between 0 and 2%.

Meanwhile activity indicators were generally a little firmer over the month. The new buyer enquiries net balance edged up to +7 from +4 while the three month run of negative readings for the new instructions series was halted albeit in the most modest of ways; the net balance for fresh supply coming to the market in October was +3.

The better tone was also reflected in newly agreed sales which having dipped in September rebounded over the past month. The positive net balance of +8 was actually the best reading since April 2010. This improvement was also reflected in the average number of sales per surveyor (branch). In the three months to October, the headline number of sales climbed to 15 which, while still very low from a historical perspective, is actually the highest number since April. Compared to September, this represents a 2.2% rise.

Meanwhile, the average amount of stock on surveyors books increased by 2.7% to 70.9. As a result of this, there was little change in the sales to stock ratio (a closely watched guide to market slack).

London continues to be the only region recording rising prices at the present time; it is also the only area where the price expectations net balance is positive. By way of contrast, new buyer enquiries and sales expectations appear to be edging upwards across rather more of the country. The former readings were actually strongest in the South East and the North West in October. Outside of England & Wales, Northern Ireland’s price balance although still negative, showed a marked improvement (net balance increased from -37 to -29). On the other hand, Scotland’s price balance lost all its previous month’s gains, with the net balance falling from -3 to -34.

View full survey

source: RICS (www.rics.org)