Blogs of author

New figures published by Halifax have highlighted the largest annual rise in the number of first-time buyers (FTBs) entering the property market since 2001.

2013 saw a 13% increase in FTB activity in comparison to the whole of 2012, with an estimated 265,000 FTBs completing transactions within the last 12 months.

Overall, FTBs increased their share of the mortgage market in 2013 to 44% - up from 40% in 2012.

Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, commented: "Low interest rates, improvements in consumer confidence and government schemes, such as Help to Buy, all appear to have contributed

Ray Boulger, of mortgage broker John Charcol, says that he expects an 8% rise in house prices in 2014, based on the Halifax and Nationwide indexes. This would match the kind of annual increases seen at the end of 2013, which he admits would have been a surprise for anyone studying the market at the start of 2013.

He says that two schemes to stimulate the housing market "moved the goalposts" during the year. They were the Funding for Lending scheme, which offers cheap funds to lenders under the proviso that this is then lent on to mortgage borrowers and small businesses, and the Help to Buy sch

Welcome to 2014! We hope that you had a lovely festive period, and celebrated New Year in style!

A quick note to let you know that the UK auction houses will be back to work in full force on Monday, with some finalising their catalogues next week for the first auctions of the new year.  There are a handful of auctions in January, with the majority commencing in February, to allow the auctioneers time to collect as many new entries as possible before going to print with their catalogues.  I would hope that the first catalogues will be released from around the 13th/14th January, so keep checking

The London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has six out of 10 of the most expensive streets in England and Wales, according to a new report.

Egerton Crescent, in South Kensington, was named the country's most expensive place to live for the second year running by Lloyds Bank. Many properties on the street are Grade II-listed Georgian homes which sell for an average of almost £7.4m.

The capital is home to 19 of the top 20 dearest streets.

Cadogan Square, Prince Consort Road, Drayton Gardens, Eaton Square and Blenheim Crescent were the other Kensington and Chelsea addresses in the top 10 list

We hope that all of our UKAL members and our auction house partners had a thoroughly over indulgent Christmas and Boxing Day,  and we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year! Although things will be quieter over the next 7 days, we will have a few ultra dedicated team members working throughout the course of the next week, so if you're thinking about selling your property at auction next year, give us a ring or fill in a few details in our property form and someone will contact you to chat through your requirements further.

And remember that the first auction catalogues of 2014 will start to

Thinking about selling at auction? We are now undertaking property valuations for entries into the first round of auctions taking place in the brand new year, so why not send us a few details about your property, and one of our auctioneers in your area, will talk give you a ring, to chat further.

Selling a property by auction is easier than many people think, and the prices that we achieve are usually higher than expected too. Our auction partners have sold more than 2,500 properties throughout the UK, this year, that's more than any other auctioneer since, well since auctions started! Next

Property finance lender, Auction Finance Limited, is experiencing significant growth in lending, surpassing pre-credit crunch levels, as auction property purchases boom, (as reported this week by Auction House UK).

The award winning Manchester-based company has more than doubled the number of loans it has financed over the past 12 months and has increased the value of its average loan by 22.3%.

The announcement comes as the latest figures show a seven year high for UK’s auction houses, with lots sold in October 2013 up  30& compared to October 2012, the highest ever recorded level for that

A strong end to CPBigwood’s auction year saw business well ahead of 2012.

The December event held at Aston Villa football ground totaled £7,580,700 of property sold, with an 84 per cent success rate and 100 per cent in the case of local authority lots.

It means the cumulative figure for 2013 came in at £51,082,200, with 604 lots offered and an aggregate success rate of 76.6 per cent.

The 2012 comparison was just under £47 million on 570 lots.

Jonathan Hackett, partner and head of auctions at CPBigwood, said: “More people are choosing the auction route – the size of our auctions and the numbers

Auction House Birmingham were delighted to sell Auction House's 2,500 property in their December auction. In a packed room, of over 300 people, the lot was a two bedroom dilapidated bungalow, fierce bidding in the room saw it sail past the guide of £120,000 to be sold at £180,000. They ended the year selling 16 out of 18 and kept their year sales at a massive 93% conversion.

In addition, we're pleased to report that Auction House Cumbria held its largest ever auction with a record 71 lots offered in the final sale of 2013, with more than 700 people attending. Over £3m (£3,060,100) was raised

Households' perception of the value of their home has risen to a five-year high, an index has shown.

The Markit House Price Sentiment Index rose to 59.4 during December, and any value over 50 indicates prices are rising.

The index found people in London, the east of England and the South West were most positive about the price rises. Those in the South East anticipated the biggest rise in house prices over the next year. Expectations about future prices also rose to near pre-recession highs.

Estate agent Knight Frank carried out the research, with Markit Economics. It marks the ninth