Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 29th, 2008
A scheme designed to help the Polish community buy property in the UK has scooped a coveted prize at the 2008 Scottish Legal Awards.
Caesar & Howie’s Kupdom scheme took the laurels in the Summerhall Marketing Initiative of the Year category, designed to reward a company’s success in developing an effective marketing strategy.
Offering a tailored service to Poles, the Kupdom scheme assists individuals in securing finance and purchasing property in the UK.
"Buying a home may seem to be a tough job – especially if you are not proficient in the English language. But the truth is that thousands of people living in Britain buy each year quite successfully and we aim to ensure that thousands of Poles can do that too," the scheme states.
The 14-strong panel was chaired by Margo MacDonald, Independent MSP for the Lothians.
Lady Hazel Cosgrove – Scotland’s first female judge – took the lifetime achievement award.
Award winners were congratulated by guest speaker and former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen.
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Thursday, February 28th, 2008
In news that could be of interest to anyone looking to buy a house in Scotland, a new landlords association has been launched north of the border.
A Scottish branch of the National Landlords Association (NLA) has been established with the aim of supporting the role played by the rented property sector in the wider housing market in the region.
While the newly-established association will maintain a Scottish focus, the fact that it forms part of a UK-wide organisation is likely to account for much of its strength and usefulness to landlords around the country, according to the first chairman of the NLA Scotland Jim Parker.
"Nowadays, there are a very wide range of issues which impact on landlords up and down the country and this development seeks to serve our Scottish members even more as they meet these challenges," said David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA.
In other news that could interest anyone looking to buy a house in Scotland, the National Association of Estate Agents recently urged the prime minister Gordon Brown to revise the stamp duty system in such a way that reflects the sharp rise in house prices in recent years.
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Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
January saw remortgaging activity reach record levels as more people decided to find a new financing deal in order to buy a house in Scotland and the rest of the country.
The figures from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) revealed "exceptionally strong" remortgage approvals.
Such activity made up 49 per cent of all mortgage approvals of people who opted to purchase a home.
David Dooks, director of statistics at the BBA, said the figures showed consumers sought out the best financing options.
He added: "Although house prices and new loans for house purchase appear to be subdued as the housing market slows, the strength of remortgaging would suggest competition for mortgage business and switching remains high."
Commenting on the BBA figures, Simon Rubinsohn, chief executive at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics), said that people who already own a property have "increasing opportunities" to refinance.
Meanwhile, first-time buyers who want to buy a house in Scotland or elsewhere in the country are likely to struggle.
Mr Rubinsohn said: "It does however throw into sharp relief the claim that a weaker housing market will necessarily be good news for first-time buyers."
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Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Caesar & Howie has picked up a prestigious award for its marketing efforts over the past few months, it has been revealed.
At the sixth annual Scottish Legal Awards earlier this week, Caesar & Howie claimed one of only 14 prizes on offer and was named as the winner in the Marketing Initiative of the Year category.
Ten of the law firm’s marketing experts headed to stage to pick up their award, which the organisers of the event explained had been given out to the team that was able to demonstrate clear strategic thinking and to have achieved "measurable objectives".
Credit was also given to entrants in the category for examples of a how their particular marketing initiative had been able to offer advantages in the development of new business.
Former Scotland and Liverpool football player Alan Hansen was the guest speaker at the awards, which were supported by Bank of Scotland Corporate and saw many of the top law firms in the country competing for honours.
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Monday, February 25th, 2008
First-time buyers, couples, young professionals or families looking to buy a home in Scotland may well be interested in the small, historic town of Prestonpans.
The properties developed in the town by Redrow may also suit those wishing to sell homes in Scotland in order to downsize.
The Potteries@Prestonpans development has just been completed, with homes being offered from £135,000 for the two-bedroom Argal, which features an open-plan living area, en suite facility and single parking place.
There are two types of three-bedroom properties available: the Fairwood, starting at £172,995 and the superior Lambourne – with a loft-conversion master bedroom – spaced over three floors and starting at £194,000.
Larger families looking to buy homes in Scotland are also catered for, with a range of four-bedroom homes available from £242,995.
Sales director for Redrow Homes Diana Newton tells easier.com: "The Potteries ticks all the boxes, giving homehunters the chance to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings of the historic town of Prestonpans without compromising on a central location."
Prestonpans is situated just ten miles east of Edinburgh – ideal for commuters – with a population of approximately 8,000 and was the scene of the historic Battle of Prestonpans in 1745.
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Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Housebuilders in Glasgow have been told by the city’s council that if they want to play a part in residential development in future they will need to "think green", according to reports.
Tens of thousands of homes are to be constructed around the city over the next few years and the local authorities are aiming to put plenty of emphasis on the importance of sustainability.
People looking to buy a house in Scotland might be glad to hear that affordability is also a major concern for Glasgow’s council, but an energy efficiency drive looks set to be undertaken across the city’s construction sector, the Evening Times reports.
"We want large developments to be as energy efficient as possible [and] builders should be looking at putting in local energy generation," said a spokesperson for the Glasgow city council.
In other news that could be of interest to those considering buying a house in Scotland, Glasgow’s council recently signed a multi-million pound deal designed to integrate local property and IT services.
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Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Alistair Darling should use the upcoming Budget to ease problems faced by people in the housing market, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
In news that may be welcomed by people looking to buy a house in Scotland, or anywhere else in the UK, NAEA president Stewart Lilly has called on the chancellor of the exchequer to revise the stamp duty scale.
The association proposed a new scale based on a series of thresholds similar to income tax, where only the value of a property which exceeds a limit has the charge levied against it.
Mr Lilly comments: "The government needs to be aware that with inflation rising, consumers need a helping hand. We would like to see a scale of stamp duty that reflects the house price inflation in recent years."
In other news that may be of interest to people looking to buy or sell a house in Scotland, figures from Rightmove suggest that February optimism has seen the average asking price rise to £237,856.
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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Traditional February optimism on the part of those looking to sell a house in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK has resulted in a rise in asking prices.
Figures from the latest Rightmove house price index suggests that the average price for a property this month rose to £237,856, reflecting a 3.2 per cent (£7,428) rise from the figure of £230,428 in January.
The firm explains that a smaller number of properties – 132,000 – are available this February in comparison to 144,000 in the corresponding month in 2007 and 155,000 in 2006.
Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, comments: "Most sellers obviously want to achieve as much as possible for their property and traditionally they choose to test a more ambitious price early in the year as they have plenty of time to adjust it down later."
In other news that may be of interest to people looking to buy or sell a house in Scotland, Knight Frank recently reported that the price of agricultural land increased by 25.3 per cent in the 12-month period ending in December 2007.
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
The price of farmland rose last year making it a potentially attractive proposition for those looking to buy or sell in the agricultural sector, it emerged today.
According to data from Knight Frank, this type of land experienced a price increase of 25.3 per cent in the year leading up to December 2007, with average farmland values rising to £4,316 per acre.
The news may be of interest to those looking to relocate or buy a house in Scotland, where beautiful countryside and culture could be the ideal setting for a farmhouse or similar property.
Indeed, Knight Frank stated that 37 per cent of all farmland purchases were made by "lifestyle buyers" and not those looking to farm or live off their land.
"They seek to add value to their properties while also protecting their immediate outlook," said Clive Hopkins, head of farms and estates at the company.
"Indications suggest this trend will continue through 2008."
In other news that may be of interest to those looking to buy or sell a house in Scotland, a recent report suggested that the UK market was in the process of "gaining momentum".
The National Association of Estate Agents said the number of buyers and first-time buyers were both up in January. It also suggested that people thoroughly research the market in their area as it may be performing better than others.
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Monday, February 18th, 2008
In news that could be of interest to anyone looking to sell a house in Scotland, there has been an increase in property sales in the UK in recent weeks, according to new data.
Figures from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) have shown that there were 11 per cent more homes sold in the UK last month than was the case in December 2007.
The NAEA was particularly glad to note that house-buying activity among people taking their first steps on to the property ladder rose by around three per cent compared to the same month of last year and accounted for 14.5 per cent of all sales in January.
"I am confident that we will have just started to see the benefit of the first interest rate cut in December and the latest quarter per cent decrease in February will further help boost the confidence of all buyers," said Peter Bolton King, the NAEA’s chief executive.
In other news that could impact people planning to buy a house in Scotland, HotProperty.co.uk recently revealed that record numbers of people used its home searching website last month.
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