US Housing Market Update Are house prices increasing by less than the indices suggest? The decline in the share of distressed sales is having an upward influence on house prices. But we aren’t convinced by claims that the house price indices’ failure to adjust for this effect is somehow... 2nd August 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Jul.) House prices are continuing to gain ground. A strong 0.8%m/m increase combined with favourable base effects to boost the annual growth rate to 3.9%. But with house prices already overvalued, we do not... 2nd August 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Divergence in London house prices grows ever wider House prices in London as a whole have outperformed the rest of the country since the financial crisis, but this is not the case for all parts of the capital. Those boroughs with the highest prices... 31st July 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Homeownership & Vacancy Rates & Case-Shiller (Q2/May) Three years after home sales started rising, and a year and a half since house prices turned up, the homeownership rate remains at an 18-year low. 30th July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Lending (Jun.) After three months of gains, the number of mortgages approved for house purchase showed a surprising drop in June. While this is almost certainly a blip, rather than an indication that banks are... 29th July 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Is the housing market set to take off? Housing construction should give a boost to the wider economy over coming quarters as low mortgage interest rates support property demand. But Japan’s property market is approaching a turning point... 29th July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Property yields still holding their ground Despite recent signs that the euro-zone recession is easing, the tone of the latest occupier market data remains soft and there has been no observable upward shift in investment market activity. Even... 26th July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Housebuilding starts to recover, but so do new-build prices The recent rise in demand for new-build homes, partly driven by Help to Buy, has helped private home starts reach their highest level since the start of the financial crisis. While this is good news... 26th July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (Jun.) The Land Registry reported that house prices increased by 0.6%m/m in June. But there is scant evidence that house prices are about to take-off - the annual rate stayed in the narrow band of 0.2% to 0... 26th July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Chart Pack First meaningful capital value rise in two years Initial yields edged down in June. Combined with the small rise in rental values, this was enough for all-property capital values to increase by 0.2%m/m. This was the first significant increase in... 25th July 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (Jun 13.) The strong rise in new home sales in June means that the housing market has come through its first major test of higher mortgage rates unscathed. 24th July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Help to Buy may help to re-elect The Chancellor is today meeting major lenders and housebuilders to discuss how the second (mortgage guarantee) element of the Government’s Help to Buy programme will work. While the policy has been... 23rd July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response BBA Mortgage Lending (Jun 13.) Mortgage lending by the major high street banks increased for the fourth consecutive month in June, funded by a further rise in mortgage repayments. But compared to May and April, the growth in... 23rd July 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Existing Home Sales (Jun 13.) The decline in sales and the rise in inventories means that supply conditions in the existing homes market are now the loosest they have been this year. That looks consistent with a slowdown in the... 22nd July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Spanish house prices still have much further to fall There is little sign that the Spanish housing downturn will come to an end any time soon. Not only does this spell bad news for households, it will also pile even more pressure on the troubled banks. 22nd July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is gross or net mortgage lending more relevant for house prices? In the short term, whether gross or net mortgage lending matters more for house prices depends on the type of mortgage repayments being made. In that regard, with the recent rise in repayments being... 18th July 2013 · 1 min read
