Discuss shipping / removals queries with PSS International Removals

Posted on May 19, 2010 by peter 
Filed under UK Real Estate News · Tagged: , , ,

If you’re in the UK and are emigrating overseas, then a quick reminder that as part of our series of chat sessions with industry experts, our sister site – pomsinoz.com, will be hosting aLive Chat session with PSS International Removals tonight – 19th May at 19:00 – 21:00 UK time.

>To take part, either head over to our sister site – PomsInOz Australia Migration & Expat Forum and click the ‘chat’ button or use this link – PSS Chat

Once the chat software has loaded, tick the ‘Guest’ option at the top of the chat window, then choose a username and enter the ‘PSS International Removals’ chat room.

Liam Witham from PSS will be hosting the chat and will be on hand to answer any shipping / removals queries you may have.

The session will last approximately 2 hours.

International shipping / removals

UK house prices fall nearly 2% in March

Posted on April 8, 2009 by peter 
Filed under UK Real Estate News · Tagged: ,

UK house prices fell by 1.9% in March compared with the previous month, according to data provided by the Halifax.

The Halifax (now part of Lloyds Banking Group) – said that conditions in the housing market would remain tough for the rest of the year.

The average UK home now costs £157,226, at least £30,000 less than a year ago.

The figures failed to echo the slight rise in prices in March reported by the Nationwide, with the Halifax saying that consumer confidence was still low.

house_pricesThe annual rate of decline eased slightly, with prices down 17.5% in March compared with a record drop of 17.7% in February.

This annual figure is based on a three-month by three-month comparison. When comparing the average price from March compared with March 2008, the drop was 17.6%.

“Conditions in the housing market are likely to be tough during the remainder of 2009 despite the improvements in affordability,” said Halifax housing economist Martin Ellis.

He said that rising unemployment, low consumer confidence and the squeeze on mortgage finance were all likely to exert “downward pressure” on the market over the coming months.

The month-on-month change is in contrast to the “surprise bounce” of 0.9% in March reported by the Nationwide Building Society.

But, on Thursday, the Nationwide warned against reading too much into its short-term price rise figure, saying that it was too early to suggest the bottom of the market had been reached.

The less volatile three-month on three-month measure by the Nationwide showed that the average UK property price dropped by 4.2% in the first three months of 2009 compared with the last quarter of 2008.

This was actually more gloomy for homeowners than the Halifax’s view, which suggested prices had fallen by 2.7% over the same period, a much smaller decrease than the 5% to 6% falls it recorded in each of the three previous quarters.

Mr Ellis said that, based on more mortgages being approved by banks and building societies recently, there were “tentative signs that activity may be beginning to stabilise”.

Homes were more affordable now that at any time since early 2003, having been at its toughest in July 2007, and existing mortgage-holders were benefitting from falling interest rates.

The amount that the average existing mortgage borrower was devoting to home loan repayments fell from a peak of 26.9% of household income in October 2008 to 22.6% in February 2009, he said.

David Smith, senior partner at Dreweatt Neate estate agents, said: “The March Halifax figures are proof positive that you can’t get carried away by a single set of figures from a single source.

“There is an inherent volatility to house prices right now and because of this a sideways-moving market, with the odd spike up or down, remains the most likely course for the rest of 2009.”