http://www.theratandmouse.co.uk/weblog/ en-us 2012-02-07T17:11:59+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/not_just_lack_o.html That's according to a report by Rightmove that showed that while just 8% of potential first-time buyers had concerns about meeting mortgage repayments 29% named finding a suitable property as the number one problem. First-time sellers, it seems, are struggling... _Other Ben 2012-02-07T17:11:59+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/bank_to_get_new.html It would be a new committee, headed by the Governor of the Bank of England, with powers to deflate bubbles before they happen by demanding minimum deposits, and inject a bit of life into the market when it needs to,... _Other Ben 2012-02-07T09:16:39+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/market_report_h_61.html The Halifax house price index is out and it shows a moderate rise in values in January, of 0.6%. The three months to end of Jan (compared to the same period last year) show a weakening in house prices of... House prices Ben 2012-02-06T17:55:51+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/take_grand_desi.html ... and what do you get? Something grim probably. It's hard to tell whether the newspaper is wilfully making too much of a throwaway comment, but the Sunday Mirror reports here that the rapper-turned-property investor-turned-US-property show presenter with a home... Property TV Ben 2012-02-06T10:03:54+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/saleandrentback_1.html The number of sale-and-rent-back deals done before 2009, when the FSA took on regulation of the sector: give-or-take 50,000. The number of deals since: 61. And - according to the FSA - that number has trickled down to pretty much... _Other Ben 2012-02-03T17:56:16+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/stoke_newington_1.html That's according to data from moneysupermarket.com, using insurance data. Not far behind Stokey comes Apperley Bridge in Bradford and West Bromwich. Technorati Tags: property, real estate... N16 Ben 2012-02-03T08:43:25+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/in_prime_london.html According to Winkworth, there's no sign of London's top-end boom market ending soon, while wealthy Eurozone and Middle Eastern buyers continue to plough money in. Prices in Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Belgravia rose 17% in 2011, with 41% of those sales... House prices Ben 2012-02-02T07:52:04+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/thursday_linkag_23.html In bubble-hit Michigan, beautiful house of the future, as the future looked in 1971 [Curbed]The big bribe, £1,000 each for homeowners to allow high speed rail contractors onto property [Daily Telegraph]Shapps' state-backed 95% mortgage scheme... the details [Guardian]20 great... Linkage Ben 2012-02-02T07:44:49+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/market_report_n_34.html Nationwide's January data's out, and it shows a 0.2% fall in house prices, leaving the annual change down to just +0.6%, from +1%. The important three-month-on-three-month measure was up 0.3%. More here. Technorati Tags: property, real estate... House prices Ben 2012-02-01T18:20:30+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/lady_gaga_buys.html She's said to have bought in a luxury new-build development in the Fitzrovia area. Details? It's apparently "modern concrete" on the outside, has floor to ceiling glass, four penthouses and a communal courtyard. Any ideas? Technorati Tags: property, real estate... WC1 Ben 2012-02-01T08:03:47+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/02/palace_green_ho.html Its price has earned it coverage from Bloomberg and Business Week. It's a 16,000 square foot, at the southern end of Kensington Palace Gardens, and it sounds - from something Aylesford International (handling the sale) say - it's either not... For sale Ben 2012-02-01T07:58:41+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/01/repos_on_the_ri.html According to this, in Metro, the third quarter of 2011 saw a worrying 20% rise in repos. Almost half were ordered by lenders, the rest by landlords, mostly social. Technorati Tags: property, real estate... _Other Ben 2012-01-31T07:12:07+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/01/on_the_kensal_r.html An interesting piece in the Daily Mail (is this what it's come to?) about designer Tom Dixon's work to turn a 5,000 gallon water tower into a 5,000 square foot living space. It's a fascinating project, perhaps blighted a tiny... Design Ben 2012-01-31T07:09:46+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/01/monday_afternoo_72.html Halifax: cheaper to buy than to rent [Guardian]Return of the 95% mortgage [Guardian]Vincent Tchenguiz throws entire portfolio onto market [Daily Mail]Is Scarlett Johansson property shopping in London? (Truth Dive] The Rat and Mouse - London's property blog Technorati Tags: property,... Linkage Ben 2012-01-30T16:12:00+00:00 http://www.theRatandMouse.co.uk/weblog/archives/2012/01/land_registry_c.html The new figures show a fall of 1.3% in 2011, after zero change between November and December. The only region to see a rise in 2011 was - of course - London, where house prices rose 2.8%, which was modest... House prices Ben 2012-01-30T16:08:54+00:00