Brickonomics

Little to stop the slide in house prices, says Hometrack

Two weeks ago there was growing optimism within the housing market. One budget later and there is every sign that we may re-enter a period of deepening pessimism with commentary to suit. I'd be surprised if the latest British Bankers'...

Posted by Brian on April 27, 2009 12:55 PM

Sorry to be a party pooper, but hold fire on bigging up the mortgage figures

There has been much joy in the housing sector at the news that the number and amount of home loans approved by banks grew for the third consecutive month in February, according to the British Bankers' Association. While this is...

Posted by Brian on March 24, 2009 4:06 PM

Are house prices sliding towards a cliff?

A snap survey by RICS has backed up the figures produced by Hometrack that homebuyers are demanding increasingly savage discounts from sellers. Hometrack puts that average discount at 10%, whereas RICS suggests 9%. But either way there will be a...

Posted by Brian on September 27, 2008 7:01 PM

Fresh dip in mortgage lending spells deepening gloom for housing market

The latest figures from the British Bankers' Association make seriously grim reading. The seasonally adjusted value of loans approved in June for homes dropped to a third of what it was in the same month a year ago. The figures...

Posted by Brian on July 23, 2008 10:10 AM

"There is no housing market"

It is always a worthwhile experience chatting to Hometrack's Richard Donnell, there are always ideas and sparks of ideas. Having tracked him down this morning we talked, unsurprisingly, about the weirdness of the housing market. He made one particular comment...

Posted by Brian on June 24, 2008 10:09 AM

Mervyn King warns banks on binge drinking

I have a lot of time for Mervyn King's comments. Here's one from today that I think is worth a look. It is from his speech to the British Bankers' Association on "Banking and the Bank of England". "It is...

Posted by Brian on June 10, 2008 1:48 PM

Buyers "strike" continues as housing market suffers

The latest data confirms that potential homebuyers are still treating the current housing market with extreme caution resulting in fewer mortgages, fewer sales and lower prices. Hometrack data for May shows prices down nationally by 0.5% on the month after...

Posted by Brian on May 27, 2008 10:43 AM