Estate Agents News

Nigel Stockton, Financial Services Director at Countrywide, the UK’s largest mortgage broker, comments on rising mortgage costs following warnings from the governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King, that UK borrowers could face higher interest rates because the crisis in the eurozone has made it more expensive for banks to borrow:

“Since November last year, lenders have been closely monitoring their sales volumes by imposing stricter lending criteria and new restrictions, making it harder for new borrowers and homeowners looking to move off un-capped Standard Variable Rates (SVR) to access funds with competitive rates.

“It has been reported that over a million borrowers have already been affected by the recent hikes in mortgage costs and we have seen rates for an average 75% LTV mortgage[i] steadily rise up by the best part of 1%, increasing average monthly repayments by up to £73.” Reay more >>

Bournemouth, blue rinses, marching bands, candy floss and doddery donkeys…Aww No way man!

But for the people of Britain, Bournemouth immediately gives you a mental image of the lovely beach front, the double piers the fine golden sand of Bournemouth’s Beaches, or perhaps walk along the Pier Approach Pleasure Gardens.

Bournemouth is popular for its posh bars, classy hotel rooms as well as its man-made reef which is an excellent location for surfers, and it has just been recently chosen the very best seaside vacation resort in England! Beach buffs will like the climate in Bournemouth, it’s sunny and warm and the coast is blanketed in Seven miles of golden sands.

From inexpensive student nights to top class clubbing, you will surely never run out of alternatives at Bournemouth, you could even get lucky and catch the legendary Beatles Member Ringo Starr perform live in one of the bars or clubs.

Back in the days, Bournemouth’s only market was the older men and women, However as great reviews on the web and other folks as well more vacationers keep coming which eventually led Bournemouth to change its image to be able to attract more and more patrons. And because Bournemouth has a lot to offer to the tourists aside from the beaches it’s been regarded as one of the best places to reside in, as a matter of fact, sandbanks is among the most high-priced areas to live in the world and it is Britain’s equivalent of Malibu beach – now don’t tell me that does not appeal to you. More importantly, Bournemouth is a wonderful spot for stag and hen weekends. As I have mentioned, you will never run out of activities to do in Bournemouth.

It’s very easy to go to Bournemouth since you have lots of travel options like by rail, coach, air & boat, but if you live in London and you have a car the 2 hour drive is totally worth it because you can have a few stopovers to view Salisbury, the Stonehenge and the New forest. The area connects Poole in the West and Christchurch in the East, both excellent spots for live music, proper watering holes and popping seafood.

And today there are direct flights to and from Barcelona, Canary Islands, Dublin, Malta, Pisa and even Barbados which means you’ve got no reason never to visit Bournemouth. In the past few years, Bournemouth has experienced lots of changes. The population has tremendously increased together with the number of universities that teach English as an alternative language, even the sheer number of students enrolling in Bournemouth University increased.

Bournemouth is conveniently located directly to the eastern side of the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile portion of gorgeous and basically untainted region recently appointed a World Heritage Site. From the Bournemouth seafront you’ve got a clear view of the Poole bay and the beautiful isle of wight, The town is also reachable by Sandbanks in the east, the home of the well-known and wealthy son of Bournemouth, Harry Redknapp.

The site is a surfing paradise, an artificial reef (Europe’s first) was installed at Boscombe, in Bournemouth, in 2008 and was finished in Nov 2009. Food experts will have the most wonderful experience at Langtry’s Restaurant, one of several best fine dining restaurants situated in Bournemouth. Regardless of whether you just want to have a cup of joe, an intimate dinner or experience different flavors, you will never run out of choices at Bournemouth. In Bournemouth you’re offered many alternatives, do you want it served on a silver platter or right out of the net? It is all your choice.

Regardless of whether you’re just there for a holiday or you’re looking for a place to live permanently, The town of Bournemouth will certainly flood your head with fond memories of the ocean and the wonderful view of the cliffs and the chines over the coastlines.

When we speak about Forex, often FSA appears as well. FSA stands for Financial Services Authority. This body is more like an in charge of all the financial services in the United Kingdom.

If you check out the scene in London per se, you will find how FSA is regulating all the financial providers in the area. In addition to this, FSA stands as an independent body, which means that you will not find it attached to any other body. It works on its own stated framework and it regulates all the services associated with financial markets, brokerages and exchanges in London.

As mentioned earlier, it has its own framework. This framework includes a set of rules, laws that are equal to all the providers on the financial market. Going by the rule, everyone under FSA regulated London brokerage needs to follow the standards set by this independent body.

One of the highlights of FSA is that it is one such body that doesn’t come on the same page of the offshore companies. This means, there is no room for the brokers to spend any of their client’s money. They have to keep the client’s money in segregated accounts and in banks that the FSA approves.

With such rules and regulations prescribed for brokers on the market, it often comes across as a secured means for the clients to invest their money and lay their trust in the chosen brokers.

You will find a list of FSA approved Forex brokers. Once you know that they are associated with FSA, it often gets easy to work with them.

Planning to sell your house which is in may be easy but attracting people to see and actually buy the property is something else. However, there are several ways to attract buyers to your side.

For one, contracting to a qualified cleaning company within Wellington region who has a reputation cleaning houses. You can start cleaning their clutter and re-arrange the order of things. The living space is de-cluttered of things that are not used to give the impression that it is big and spacious.

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• Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:14:34 +0000: Tawa 4 Bedrooms House For Sale - Listings from Find Property
  Debbie Cheah for sale ,  ID Ref #508 New Zealand, Wellington, Tawa Price:  460 000 NZD, Price negotiating is not possible Tawa 4 Bedrooms House For Sale 4     3 
• Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:14:34 +0000: Tawa 4 Bedrooms House For Sale - Listings from Find Property
  Debbie Cheah for sale House,  ID Ref #508 New Zealand, Wellington, Tawa Price:  460 000 NZD, Price negotiating is not possible Tawa 4 Bedrooms House For Sale 4     3 
• Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:03:13 +0000: Tawa 5 Bedrooms House for Sale - Listings from Find Property
  Debbie Cheah for sale House,  ID Ref #507 New Zealand, Wellington, Tawa Price:  0, Price negotiating is possible Tawa 5 Bedrooms House for Sale 5     2 
• Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:03:13 +0000: Tawa 5 Bedrooms House for Sale - Listings from Find Property
  Debbie Cheah for sale ,  ID Ref #507 New Zealand, Wellington, Tawa Price:  0, Price negotiating is possible Tawa 5 Bedrooms House for Sale 5     2 
• Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:30:03 +0000: Kilburn 2 Bedrooms Apartment for Sale - Listings from Find Property
  Debbie Cheah for sale Apartment,  ID Ref #506 New Zealand, Wellington, Wellington Price:  0, Price negotiating is possible Kilburn 2 Bedrooms Apartment for Sale 2     2 

In the last few months, there has been a considerable rise in wellington’s residential
property values. It is still categorized by watchful buyers. In the last 3 months, National
property value rose by 1.1% and also gained around 2.9% over the last year. In fact, values are
presently 2.9% below the market peak. Also, there has been a considerable rise in the market
activity over the last few months that are distinctive for the present period. According to Janna
Ingerson, QV Research Director, still, there are property shortages for sale in few areas and
buyers are careful and cautious.

The QV figures came after the wellington Real Estate Institute figures. The institute figures showed that
home sales increased by 39% in the month of February with a caution note that there remains a
listings shortage. Moreover, in Auckland, residential wellington property values rose by 1.7% over the last
few months and were around 4.9% in the end, holding its place as a fastest rising main centre.
The rise in New Zealand’s residential property values was obvious as even in Hamilton the
values rose by 0.9%. Whereas in Taranga it increased by 1%.

In Wellington, the residential property values have not changed reflecting a fall in the 1st 6
months and a bounce back in the 2nd 6-month period. The prices in wellington were tautening
and listings are on rise. Buyers are being alert particularly with the restricting of public sector
and its impact on job safety in the arena. Furthermore, property values in the area Christ church
increased by 4% in the last few years and was at peak in the year 2007. In Dunedin, the value
increased by 2.3% over the last few years.

Raj Kundra and his wife Shilpa Shetty tell Knight Frank’s Andrew Shirley why they are passionate about investing in sport

Sporting franchises are becoming an increasingly global commodity in terms of both audiences and ownership. Exemplifying this trend are British-born entrepreneur Raj Kundra and his wife, the Indian businesswoman and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. The couple own a 12% share in the Rajasthan Royals, the first winners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket competition, which has grown into a multi-billion dollar global brand after just four years. They also invest in numerous other sectors including property and renewable energy, as well as supporting a number of charitable ventures.

Most of the world’s biggest sporting franchises and teams are owned by wealthy individuals. Why do you think they are so keen to be involved in the world of sport when there is the potential to lose a lot of money?

Raj Kundra: When people first become rich they are often still not very well known. Sport can provide them with the limelight and recognition some want. But increasingly people see it as a good investment too.

When you decided to invest in the IPL was it mainly a financial decision or an investment of passion, and was there anything about the IPL in particular that attracted you?

RK In our case it was it a bit of both. We didn’t invest in the IPL in its first season, but it quickly became clear it was going to be a huge phenomenon and the figures looked very attractive. At the end of the day it’s a valuations game. We got a lot of advice on what the team was worth and took a calculated risk. Based on current valuations it seems like we’ve made a good investment.

According to some estimates the IPL brand alone is now worth around $4bn. Do you think it can go on growing?

Shilpa Shetty Kundra: Definitely. In India cricket is not just a sport; it’s a religion. Each of the IPL teams has a huge domestic fan base, not to mention all the overseas interest. That makes it a really exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs who enjoy developing brands and creating innovative marketing strategies.

Do you think the creators of the IPL learned from the downsides of other sporting leagues when creating the format and structure of the competition?

RK Absolutely. The revenue stream from the central sale of media rights is virtually guaranteed and it was a smart move by Lalit Modi [the architect of the IPL] to introduce a salary cap. Without that you’d have the richest teams signing up all the best players like you do in the English Premier League.

India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, but it has been relatively low key on the global sporting scene. Has the success of IPL been a boost to the country as a whole?

SSK It has made the nation more confident. It’s something we can all be proud of.

Apart from your investment in the IPL, are there any other sports you would like to get involved with?

We are actually just about to launch MMA [mixed martial arts] in India. It’s the fastest growing sport in America and each round of the Super Fight League that we’re planning will be a really exciting event, just like the IPL. There is so much more room for sport in India.

Apart from your love of sport, you are also keen philanthropists. How important do you think it is for HNWIs to contribute something back to society?

SSK It is very important. Through my foundation we are trying to help as many Indian children who are in need as possible. Raj’s company Freeplay Energy India also donates a lot of its innovative wind-up radios and torches to areas where there is no electricity. Philanthropy and investment do not need to be mutually exclusive activities.

When talking about the world’s fastest growing economies China is always mentioned first. But India is actually predicted to overtake China in terms of GDP later this century. Do you think people sometimes underestimate or overlook the potential of India?

The infrastructure and factories in China are admittedly better, but there is great brainpower in India and pretty much everybody can speak English. From an economic point of view, there is also no real formal loan structure, which helps to insulate the economy from adverse global credit conditions.

What could India do to make itself more attractive to HNW investors?

RK The property market needs to be opened up. It is hard to buy there even for British Indians. Lifting the ban on casinos would also open up a lot of opportunities.

In 2009 you said that it wasn’t the right time to invest in property. Has that changed now and are there any locations or sectors that you think are particularly good opportunities at the moment?

RK I think capital cities still have a lot of potential. I bought something in central London not long ago, which I thought was quite expensive, but it’s already gone up in value. I’m also investing in real estate in Mumbai – there are lots of opportunities in India right now.

SSK There is also a huge amount of potential in India’s tier-two cities such as Nagpur and Ludhiana. More wealth is probably being created there than in the bigger cities and people have a lot to spend. Luxury goods sales are growing very quickly and I heard that tier-two cities are now the biggest buyers of Mercedes in India.

Read my full article in The Wealth Report 2012 about why the super-rich are increasingly attracted to alternative investments including sports teams

 

More pl goto  – http://globalbriefing.knightfrank.com/

before 2007 analysing property markets was a much simpler subject than it is today. Prices and demand rose year on year pretty much everywhere and at almost every level of the market. Then came the collapse of lehman brothers and the rest is history.

The peaks of 2007 are a distant memory and few would have thought back then that in 2012 we would be looking ahead and still expecting prices to be falling, demand to be slowing and economic uncertainty to be around the world once more. but the reality is that few real estate markets in 2012 are likely to be immune from a chronic lack of lending and weakened demand and sales. Here Ray Clancy, editor of Property Wire, looks at some key markets for the year ahead and analyses what might happen.

There are two main factors that will decide what will happen in global property markets in 2012, the eurozone crisis, which can only have a negative effect, and the growth of emerging markets in South America and Asia, and a general lack of lending in key developed markets such as the United States and the UK. But all could see a knock back if the euro currency breaks up. Indeed, revelations about the UK, for example, making plans to evacuate expats from Spain and Portugal if these countries leave the euro, and many other European Union member states saying they have contingency plans to temporarily shut their borders if the currency goes down the swanny, does not help. If you currently own a second home in Europe, are thinking of buying one, or are an investor or an expat with real estate in more than one country, such reports might seem alarming. But there have been riots in the streets of Athens and London in 2011 and it is only right that governments should make plans in case of the worst scenario happening.

Whether as a buyer, seller or an investor, you are concerned about these is very much a personal choice, but looking at the situation from a more optimistic point of view 2012 is going to be a great time to buy property around the world as prices continue to fall in markets like the US, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the UK. As many experts point out, there are plenty of bargains around. United Kingdom The UK residential property market is expected to be stable in 2012 with little change in prices overall although the economic outlook is uncertain.

Analysts expect the Bank of England’s base rate to remain at 0.5% throughout the year and although there will be weak economic growth, high unemployment and mortgage funding pressures there are a lot of positives as well. They point to affordability in the market place, a low lending rate, low levels of forced sales and a long term supply and demand imbalance as being good points for the year ahead. ‘The housing market has proved highly resilient in recent months despite the weak economic recovery and the significant deterioration in the outlook for both the UK and global economies,’ said Halifax’s housing economist, Martin Ellis.

 

News from  – kayandco.com/news/79/property-wire-january-2012.aspx