Recent Articles in Kate's property calculations page

Time to replace licensing with a Property MOT – let’s look after tenants, not keep failing them!
Nov 1, 2019

A while ago I started, on behalf of The Lettings Industry Council, to look at how well licensing was working, and at that point was fairly happy to remain neutral on whether it was a good idea or not. Sadly, though, my research has resulted in my feeling that licensing is an utter waste of time and money, and not really helping tenants at all. Few councils have prosecuted at anything like the level Newham have achieved, and some have introduced schemes and granted licences without ever having seen the property! Read my article to find out the reasons for taking this view  and take a look at  the TLIC’s solution/alternative - the Property MOT.

The impact on the property market of elections, recessions and latest forecasts
Oct 10, 2019

At the recent Property Investor Show  I made two presentations, one covering the changes to the property market during elections and recessions, and another discussing the latest forecasts for both the next twelve months and the next few years.

Create your own Grand Design
Sep 24, 2019

Up until the credit crunch, in the main, agents could make a good living from just letting and selling property that came ‘through the door’ - even if it was a digital one. The market then crashed. Prices fell by 18-20% in most areas but worst still, transactions fell by 50%, with many property businesses and jobs being lost. Although we have seen a good recovery in many places, according to the RICS, the number of properties available for sale is still at an all-time low. With Brexit, talk of a recession and possible Stamp Duty changes, the likelihood of transactions recovering anytime soon is low. And, with the Nationwide reporting just 5% of existing homes coming onto the market, without access to new build properties, it’ll be tough for agents - and you - to secure the homes you and your family need to buy and let.

Why buyers' and sellers' decisions need to be based on local expert advice
Sep 18, 2019

Whether you are ‘up north’, ‘down south’, in Scotland or Northern Ireland the market is now completely different. Pre-credit crunch, property markets tended to move in a ‘ripple effect’ but this trend appears to have stopped for now so it’s vital buyers and sellers make their decisions based on local expert advice rather than national or regional headlines.  What we do know is that across the board, since 2005, property price growth has slowed dramatically versus previous years, and now moving in line with inflation as opposed to above, impacting on those looking at investing in property for a pension or living.   

Latest London market report - falling or Brexit bounce?
Sep 10, 2019

Latest news from the Land Registry shows what an amazingly diverse market property is in London. With average prices ranging from just under £300,000 in Barking and Dagenham to an astonishing £1,254,715 in Kensington and Chelsea. What’s interesting though is when you break away from London averages and dig down deep into what’s actually being sold, things never look quite so bad. For example, in Kensington and Chelsea although the average is over a million, one property - and it was just a flat! - was sold for a staggering £13,375,000 while I found a ‘bargain’ (!) property which had been sold for just £298,000 - the average price you would pay in London’s cheapest borough.