Hertfordshire is best place to raise a family

New parents should consider selling up and moving to Hertfordshire, according a new study which has just named the county the UK’s best place to raise a family.
Top exam results, good pay prospects and plenty of sunshine, combined with lots of GPs and fast broadband, place Hertfordshire firmly at the top of the uSwitch Better Family Life index, published on Wednesday.

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Housing market ‘falters amid Brexit campaign and vote’

The supply of homes on the UK market fell at its sharpest rate to date and buyer demand hit an eight-year low as Brexit was confirmed, surveyors say.

House prices are expected to fall across the UK in the next three months, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) survey suggested.

Read the full BBC News story here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36783938

Jobs boom pushes serious rent arrears down 4%

Fewer tenants are falling into serious rent arrears thanks to the improving employment market, according to letting agents Your Move and Reeds Rains.

In absolute terms, just 86,200 tenants across the UK are more than two months behind in their rent. This compares to 89,300 in the previous quarter. This represents a 4% fall and means that 3,100 households in homes to let have moved out of serious rent arrears since the end of 2015. Continue reading →

Cost of renting one-bed property soars in UK

The cost of renting a one-bedroom property in the UK has risen to swallow almost half of the average young worker’s take-home pay, according to figures, while those living in London are typically handing over 57% of their monthly wages.

The average cost of a new tenancy on a one-bedroom home hit £746 a month in May, taking up 48% of the take-home pay of a worker aged under 30, data from property firm Countrywide showed. Continue reading →

Designer villages where house prices are over £1 million

Who wants to be a property millionaire? As house prices continue to rocket, particularly in the commuter belt, more village residents are winning.
This year, eight villages in Essex, Surrey, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Hampshire, have joined the so-called “Millionaires’ Club”, where average asking prices, recorded by Rightmove, have leapfrogged the £1 million mark.

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17th century castle empty for 20 years is going under the hammer

An incredible 17th century abandoned Italian castle is set to go under the hammer in mint condition – despite being left empty for 20 years.
The Castello di Sammezzano in Tuscany, Italy, was built in the early 17th century by Spanish nobles and was even visited by Emperor Charlemagne, before it was turned into a hotel-restaurant.

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Oxford named the hardest place to buy a home in Britain for first time buyers

Oxford is the toughest town for first time buyers to get a foot on the UK property ladder, taking over from Brighton as the country’s premium property hotspot. Bradford & Hull, on the other hand, proved the most affordable, according to new analysis by job search engine Adzuna.co.uk.

The research shows that nearly three quarters (72%) of homes in Bradford fall within financial reach for first-time buyers on average local incomes. London, High Wycombe, Reading and Brighton are amongst the most unaffordable places to purchase first properties as wages stagnate and property prices soar across Britain.  Continue reading →

UK housing market dips for first time in 12 months

Interest from UK house buyers has dropped for the first time since March 2015, as uncertainty continues to affect the market, according to the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey. 

Following the buy-to-let rush that preceded the 1 April tax rise deadline, and with continued uncertainty caused by the EU Referendum, interest from buyers dropped in April with 22% more chartered surveyors reporting a drop in demand.  Continue reading →