Halifax Home Finder – consumer app of the week

Posted by & filed under Android, Apps, Business, Features, guardian.co.uk, House prices, Housing market, iPhone, Mobile phones, Money, Mortgages, Property, Smartphones, Technology, Telecoms.

A property search, house prices and mortgage rates all in one place – is this the ultimate homebuying/snooping app?App: Halifax Home FinderBy: The app was built by design company Grapple (which we wrote about here)Price: FreeAvailable on: iOS 4.0 or …

Mortgage lending up 20% in February

Posted by & filed under Banks and building societies, Business, First-time buyers, guardian.co.uk, Housing market, Money, Mortgage lending figures, Mortgage rates, Mortgages, News, Property, UK news.

Rise in first-time buyer numbers behind overall increase in lending for house purchases, CML figures suggestMortgage lending for house purchases was up by 20% year-on-year in February, but lenders said the increase may have been fuelled by changes to s…

‘Nation of renters’ warning from estate agency chief

Posted by & filed under Banks and building societies, Communities, guardian.co.uk, House prices, Housing, Housing market, Mortgage rates, Mortgages, News, Property, Real estate, Society.

Generation aged 18-34 risks being priced out of market unless government helps housebuyers, says head of CountrywideThe chief executive of the UK’s largest estate agent has renewed calls on the government to intervene in the housing market to prevent f…

Preventing another housing bubble must be Bank of England’s priority

Posted by & filed under Analysis, Bank of England, Business, Economics, House prices, Housing, Housing market, Money, Mortgage lending figures, Mortgage rates, Mortgages, Quantitative easing, Society, The Guardian, UK news.

Three boom-busts in 40 years are testimony to the failure of trying to control the housing market through interest rates aloneEaster is traditionally when the housing market comes out of hibernation – and if ever there were a time when it might be im…

Mortgage borrowers face triple whammy, warns Bank of England

Posted by & filed under Banks and building societies, Business, Editorial, Housing market, Money, Mortgage lending figures, Mortgage rates, Mortgages, Property, Real estate, The Guardian.

Lenders expect to reduce the amount of credit given to households, tighten lending criteria – and charge more for the loans, says Bank reportLenders expect to reduce the amount of credit they give to households in the second quarter of the year in a …

Nationwide tightens up on interest-only mortgages

Posted by & filed under Banks and building societies, Borrowing & debt, Business, guardian.co.uk, Housing market, Money, Mortgages, Nationwide, News, Property, UK news.

Nationwide slashes LTV on its interest-only deals, raising fears it will leave thousands of borrowers as ‘mortgage prisoners’Nationwide building society has slashed the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) ratio on its interest-only mortgages from 75% to 50%, l…

Mortgage arrears and repossessions set to rise

Posted by & filed under Borrowing & debt, Business, Financial Services Authority (FSA), First-time buyers, guardian.co.uk, House prices, Housing market, Money, Mortgage arrears, Mortgages, Negative equity, News, Property, Repossessions, UK news.

Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast for 2012 predicts a deterioration in number of borrowers behind on their mortgages, and greater pressure on household budgetsRising unemployment and increased pressure on household budgets will lead to more borrowe…