Last week, George Osborne announced a complete reform of the UK Stamp Duty system during the 2014 Autumn Statement. The old system, which categorised sales into slabs based on the total view of the property, has been replaced by a banded approach, not unlike income tax, which will calculate charges based on progressive thresholds. Previously, if you bought a property worth £250,000, you would have...

If you are like a growing number of people, you are probably concerned with helping the environment by living a more sustainable, greener lifestyle. However, you are probably also interested in finding ways to save money. Fortunately, these two goals do not have to be at odds. In fact, by living a green lifestyle, you will find that it is much easier to reduce your spending and save money. These days,...

Pension reform and savings rates are set to be in the spotlight in Wednesday's Autumn Statement, making it an important event for anyone whose plans to retire abroad depend heavily on their UK pension and savings. “Following on from the huge changes to pensions announced at the Budget earlier this year, Chancellor Osborne is not expected to reveal anything too radical but could tweak some of the finer...

The value of the UK's housing stock has surpassed £5 trillion, according to new research. A report by Halifax shows that the private housing market's total worth has risen from £3.22 trillion in 2004 to £5.06 trillion - a rise of 57 per cent, or £1.83 trillion, in the past decade. That increase is equivalent to £79,262 per household in the owner-occupied and private rented sectors, a rise...

Miami property sales surged in October, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. The group's latest report reveals that single-family home sales in Miami-Dade County totalled 1,204, up 13.6 per cent from October last year, while condo sales jumped 6.5 per cent. The growth is driven by a combination of expanding population and interest from both overseas investors and local buyers, says 2014 Chairman...

US home sales have risen in the past 12 months, according to new figures, the first annual leap since October 2013. Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that existing-home sales rose in October 2014 for the second straight month in a row, Existing-home sales, which consist of completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, jumped 1.5 per cent to a...

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Home sales edged higher in Canada in October, reveal new statistics from the CREA. The Canadial Real Estate Association's latest report shows that national home sales increased slightly in October, rising 0.7 per cent from September.  This marks the sixth consecutive month of rising resale activity and the strongest activity for the month of October since 2009 - a significant turnaround compared to the...

Any talk of a UK housing market slowdown was shrugged off this week, as new figures revealed that property sales surged last month in England and Wales.Transactions in October jumped 9 per cent in October 2014, the highest level of sales completed in a month since November 2007. As a result, that demand pushed up prices further, with values edging up from 0.4 per cent growth in September to an increase of...

Lending caps have weighed on the seasonal slowdown of the UK housing market this autumn, with activity falling in October. Figures from Connells Survey and Valuation show that the number of property valuations fell by 20 per cent compared to September 2014. The slowdown is broadly in line with seasonal expectations, though says Connells, is "not an alarm bell". Indeed, every since 2010, there has been an...