News Archive - Jan 2008 - Buildstore

First-time buyers "definitely" find it harder to get on the housing ladder due to increasing rates of second home ownership in the UK, a spo...

The arrival of self build flat-pack housing in the UK has been heralded by Swedish furniture company Ikea, with a public display of the first such h...

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has said that as many as a million homeowners could find their homes at risk because of the credit crunch. In ...

Both national governments and the European Union (EU) have been urged to do more to ensure greener homebuilding. The European Energy Network (ENR), a...

The treasury has announced that chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling will deliver his first budget on March 12th 2008. It will offer a chance...

Another survey has shown a fall in house prices, suggesting that the end may not yet be in sight for the housing market decline. Nationwide''s figure...

An estate agency has said that homes close to rivers in the south of England are worth about 20 per cent more than similar homes elsewhere. Hamptons ...

Accessibility to the housing market has declined by 351 per cent since 1996, according to figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (R...

Bank of England governor Mervyn King has been reappointed to serve a second term once his initial five years in the post expires on June 30th 2008. T...

Those considering the self build of their homes and wanting to do so in the most eco-friendly way can find out more about the qualities of straw bal...

The latest figures from the Land Registry have shown a fall in house prices in England and Wales for the first time since August 2005. During Decem...

Londoners looking to buy a new dwelling are still likely to be priced out despite a reduction in the cost of new houses, the latest figures have indic...

A survey of UK house prices has recorded a fall for the fourth successive month as prices dropped 0.3 per cent in the four weeks to mid-January. The ...

A member of the Bank of England''s monetary policy committee (MPC) has said there needs to be a cut in interest rates very soon to avoid an economic s...

The notion that property prices in Sussex may see a crash has been rejected by estate agents in the two counties. Last week the Argus ran a story...

Those living in and around the town of Bridlington near Hull are seeing prices pushed up by people moving in to homes from outside the area. Local es...

Yvette Cooper has been replaced as minister for housing and planning by Caroline Flint, it has been announced. Ms Cooper has been moved to the post o...

The rate of UK mortgage lending growth remained flat in December, new figures have shown. Figures from the British Bankers Association (BBA) reveal...

An economist has said the Bank of England would make a major mistake if it were to cut interest rates drastically in the way the US Federal Reserve ha...

The growing popularity of using eco-friendly building materials may bring about a boom in the timber industry , it has been reported. Forestry Com...

Government plans to construct three million new homes in the UK by 2020 are on course to fail, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has...

The minutes of the Bank of England monetary policy committee''s (MPC''s) January meeting have been published, revealing that the threat of inflation h...

The credit crunch has made self build one of the best options available to those wanting to acquire a house, it has been stated. National Self Bui...

Potential homebuyers hoping for mortgages to be made cheaper by major cuts in interest rates may have been left disappointed by comments from Bank of ...

One of Britain''s largest construction associations has called on the government not to back new legislation which would make the so-called Merton Rul...

An entrepreneur who set up Britain''s only building material re-use centre is in line for an award, it has been reported. Daniel Hill, the founder of...

A number of locations in the south-west of England have seen high price inflation in the past year while the region as a whole saw half the decline of...

Nationwide Building Society has announced it is to raise the interest rates on its tracker mortgages for new customers. The lowest increase is by 0.5...

There will still be house price variation in the UK despite the overall market being flat, Halifax has said. Figures published by the bank for each o...

In news which may interest those considering the self build option to acquire a home, it has been predicted that lending conditions for first-time b...

Living in a new home can save householders over £500 a year in energy costs due to the benefits of modern building methods, design and materials...

Recycled plastic may become a familiar sight on building sites if plans go ahead for a new factory. Talks are going on between recycling firm Revalue...

New data on retail sales figures have prompted economists to predict that the Bank of England is very likely to cut interest rates in February. Such ...

Bank of England deputy governor Sir John Gieve has spoken out in favour of cutting interest rates. In a speech at the London Chamber of Commerce toda...

Those planning to engage in the self build of their own homes may need to add microrenewables to generate green energy as a result of new targets Br...

House prices this year will not crash but rather land gently, a surveyor firm has predicted. CB Richard Ellis has suggested house prices will incre...

New figures have shown that the average amount taken out in a mortgage in 2007 fell from 2006. AWD Moneyextra revealed that the average mortgage ...

The chief executive of DIY firm Home Retail Group, Terry Duddy, has called for a cut in interest rates following sluggish sales figures over the Chr...

Despite the December interest rate cut, the average fixed-rate mortgage is now higher than it was a month ago, new research has shown. Finance we...

A new survey has shown that Britons are keen to go green with large-scale spending on home improvements to make their homes more eco-friendly. The Co...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has recorded the most unfavourable house price figures among its membership since 1992. In Decemb...

Government planning targets for 240,000 new homes to be built every year by 2016 can only be achieved by building on the green belt, the head of the g...

The consumer prices index (CPI) inflation figures for December will not put off decision makers at the Bank of England planning a February rate cut, c...

The number of lenders offering 100 per cent loan-to-value mortgages has fallen since the start of December, new research has concluded. Finance web...

The strong employment situation in the UK will be a major factor in preventing a significant decline of house prices, the Royal Institution of Charter...

Plans to construct new homes on greenbelt land in Bournemouth have been criticised after a government panel rejected a local plan for the construct...

Those keen on the self build of an eco home may find some ideas by studying the effects of a group of experimental dwellings being constructed in No...

New government figures have revealed a fall in house prices in the UK in November. The Department for Communities and Local Government House Price In...

The last ten years saw a trebling of UK residential property values, Halifax has said. Research by the bank has found that the sum of the value of ...

The western suburbs of Manchester could be in line for an increase in house prices, it has been reported. Property firm Prospect has predicted tha...

The unique local circumstances of London have a distorting effect on the overall UK house price figures, it has been stated. Acadametrics, which comp...

A cross-party group of MPs has urged the government to cut VAT on home improvements and DIY work. The group, from the three main political parties ...

The Department for Communities and Local Government has outlined details of how the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) will work to deliver the three ...

Environmental issues will increasingly play a part in the choices house buyers make in the future, it has been predicted. The Home Builders Federatio...

The Bank of England''s monetary policy committee (MPC) has announced that it is keeping the base rate on hold at 5.5 per cent this month. Following l...

This year will see a flat housing market unless the base rate is cut to five per cent, an estate agency has claimed. Chesterton made the prediction a...

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has said that any decisions by lenders to pass on cuts in the base rate to their standard variable rate mortga...

Those looking to develop eco-homes should look for specialist green mortgage providers, an independent financial advisor has stated. Simon Harris, ...

New home buyers are increasingly expecting more cuts in interest rates, new figures have suggested. Statistics from the Council of Mortgage Lenders...

House prices in the UK may fall if inflationary pressures restrict the Bank of England''s scope for cutting interest rates, the Royal Institution of C...

The Bank of England will cut interest rates three times by April 2008, it has been forecasts, news that may have an impact on the state of the house b...

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has called for a cut in interest rates this week following disappointing December sales figures. Statistics revea...

New figures suggest that house prices may be bouncing back, contrary to predictions that they will continue falling, news which may interest those con...

Many mortgage lenders have declined to pass on the full 0.25 per cent December interest rate cut to their customers on the standard variable rate, i...

Planning permission is shortly to be lodged for a new development which could see the site of a former Nottinghamshire coal mine turned into new h...

The prospects for the development of the property market in Liverpool are not only good at present but will outlast this year''s European City of ...

This week''s Bank of England monetary policy committee (MPC) decision on whether or not to cut interest rates again is too close to call, economists h...

The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders'' Association (IMLA) has said there are many reasons to be positive about the housing market in 2008, but positive...

The government has announced new plans for helping key workers get their own homes in various parts of the country. Housing minister Yvette Cooper ha...

Mid Devon district council has said it is ahead of schedule in its project to increase the number of affordable homes in the area. The authority''s p...

New figures have shown that house prices are still growing across Britain, despite the recent market slowdown. Nationwide figures for the fourth quar...

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has added its voice to criticism of the government over the introduction of the home information pa...

House prices in England and Wales rose in November, according to figures from the Land Registry. The government body said the average house price i...

The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply purchasing managers'' index (PMI) has shown a slowdown in manufacturing in December, news which may p...

Those looking to make their homes eco-friendly should ensure they adopt insulation as it has a more lasting impact than "behavioural" action...

The Department of Communities and Local Government has been criticised by a committee of MPs over the implementation of home information packs (Hips) ...

Edinburgh and the surrounding Lothians region will still experience house price growth irrespective of the national picture, estate agents and solic...

Policymakers have been advised to consider the housing needs of Britain''s elderly population more in their future planning. The call has come from c...

A plan to pilot an eco-friendly housing scheme using timber as a building material goes before planners in the Highlands this month. The scheme, forw...

There needs to be increased building of affordable homes for key workers on the town of St Albans, a local parliamentary candidate has said. Roma Mil...