Category: General
Mortgage approvals are up and low deposit mortgages are back
Mortgage approvals hit a 13-year high in the last months of 2020, while the return of low deposit mortgages means that first-time buyers will have a better chance of stepping onto the property ladder. Despite economic turmoil, the house market has been buoyant as buyers look to take advantage of the Stamp Duty holiday, set...
Today is International Women’s Day: There’s no glass ceiling at LPL
We’re celebrating some of the women that help make LPL such a successful practice and dynamic workplace. At LPL, we’re immensely proud of our record on diversity and inclusion. Nowhere is this clearer than in the make up of our senior management team, where over 75% of our senior team are women. Louise Stephens-Pantoja, Head...
Buying a Welsh home following surprise Land Transaction Tax increase
As well as the Welsh Government’s surprise raising of the rate of transaction tax on the purchase of second homes, the Land Transaction Tax (LTT) holiday in respect of main residences is due to end on 31 March 2021. For those thinking about buying a property in Wales, tax is likely to be a hot...
It’s not all doom and gloom: property predictions for 2021
The end of 2020 saw house prices at a record high, helped by the chancellor’s Stamp Duty holiday, but what is likely to happen in 2021 as financial disruption continues? The property market slumped during the first lockdown of 2020, with prices down 0.5 per cent halfway through the year. However, following relaxing of restrictions...
What are people looking for in a home post Covid 19?
Following a year of lockdowns and working from home, people are looking at their properties in a different light. Living close to their place of work is less of a priority, with other desirable qualities shooting to the top of the list. The Office for National Statistics has found that before 2020 around 70 per...
What are my options if I can’t move before the Stamp Duty deadline?
With the chancellor’s Stamp Duty holiday due to end on 31 March 2021, time is running out for those hoping to buy a property without a hefty tax payment. Once the break period ends, Stamp Duty will be payable once again on properties priced at over £125,000. The Stamp Duty holiday Implemented in the summer...
New comprehensive survey available to home buyers
The Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA) has launched a new survey to rival those offered by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Obtaining the right survey is essential when buying a property. It will detail any work that may be required and give you information about the condition and value. Buying a home is...
Changing attitudes to property post Covid 19
New research has found that over one-third of people expect to be working from home regularly in the future. Homebuilder Barratt Homes and GoodMore Global Ltd have conducted a study into changing attitudes to working from home and people’s wishes when it comes to moving home. Researchers questioned 750 participants from London and South East...
Public support for enhancement of green spaces
The pandemic and subsequent restrictions have highlighted to many the importance of green spaces for mental and physical health and wellbeing. Research commissioned by the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) together with the HomeOwners Alliance and carried out by YouGov in the summer of 2020, found that 71 per cent of those...
