Sales of US property expected to pick up in 2015

Sales of US property are expected to pick up in 2015, as low mortgage rates help to combat the mis-perception that expensive deposits are required. Pending sales improved in November 2014, according to the National Association of Realtors, with the index ending up 0.8 per cent. Sales are now 4.1 per cent higher than November 2013 - the third month of year-on-year rises in a row and the highest...

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New Year, New Job in Sales?

Do you love closing a deal and directly controlling how much you earn? Can you rise to the challenge of persuading a prospect to buy from you? Are you a fast-talking, high-energy, self-motivated individual with lots of ambition? Would you like to sell proven advertising solutions to an international audience? About Lead Galaxy Lead Galaxy provides property brokers, estate agents and international...

UK house prices to see slow but steady growth in 2015

House prices in the UK will see slow but steady growth in 2015, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors predicts. The latest RICS report forecasts an average increase of three per cent over the course of next year. The figure is a marked contrast to the growth recorded in 2014, as the market slows down ahead of the 2015 election and a long-awaited rise in interest rates.  In the short-term,...

Starter Home: UK offers buyers 20pc off their first new home

The UK government has announced a new scheme for the new year, which will offer a 20 per cent discount on new homes to first-time buyers. The Starter Home scheme will offer new homes with a 20% discount to 100,000 first-time buyers, as part of a major push to help people onto the housing ladder. The proposed scheme enters a consultation period from today and arrives after multiple measures taken to...

Sun, sea and a strong pound

Excellent buying conditions have lured Britons back into the overseas property market this year, with bargain property prices and historically low mortgage rates making it more affordable than ever. The biggest boost to buyers’ budgets, however, has been the steadily increasing value of the pound against the euro, which is effectively shedding tens of thousands of pounds off property prices in the...

Foreign buyers go back to Spain

Foreign buyers are going back to Spain in growing numbers, as the market's recovery spreads across all sectors. Spain is now the most popular country in the world for foreign buyers, according to TheMoveChannel.com, with the destination accouting for 1 in 10 of all enquiries on the portal in November 2014. The resurgent demand is fuelled by conditions improve across the board. Indeed, mortgage...

UK Stamp Duty reform could save £200m

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...

Great green home energy tips

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,...

What the 2014 Autumn Statement could mean for you

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...