5th March 2010 Issue #67

Another week of mixed messages in the property news arena this week, with reports of a plunge in mortgage approvals in January on one hand, balanced against a survey which shows the UK housing market to be one of the fastest improving in Europe.

We also learn that more of us are being forced into rented accommodation thanks to a shortage of housing supply, yet on a more positive note mortgage rates are falling on the back of some new fixed rate products announced this week.

And elsewhere, recycling has been taken to a new level with the announcement of a home built of plastic waste products, giving a whole new meaning to the word greenhouse!

Mortgage approvals plunge in January

Home loans at lowest level since May 2009 and suffer second consecutive monthly fall.

The Guardian, 01/03/2010
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'More householders will have to rent'

Increasing numbers of Britons are likely to be forced to rent in future as a shortage of housing supply pushes home ownership out of many people's reach, research has showed.

The Telegraph, 02/03/2010
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Britain's housing market 'one of fastest improving' in Europe

The British housing market is improving at a faster rate than property prices across most of the rest of Europe, a report has found.

The Telegraph, 02/03/2010
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Mortgage rates fall as new fixed-rate deals launched

Mortgage rates have continued to fall with the launch of two new market-leading deals.

The Telegraph, 03/03/2010
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Britain's biggest housebuilder bounces back into profit

Persimmon gave the troubled sector a lift yesterday by returning to profitability following a torrid period in which it was forced to wipe £600m off the value of its assets.

The Telegraph, 03/03/2010
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Write downs keep Taylor Wimpey firmly in the red

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey failed to match rival Persimmon's return to profit yesterday, reporting a £640m pre-tax loss thanks to another round of writedowns on its land bank.

The Telegraph, 04/03/2010
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House prices fall in February

House prices fell by 1.5% in February following seven consecutive rises, the Halifax said today.

The Guardian, 04/03/2010
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New homes to be built from 18 tonnes of recycled plastic

It puts the fab into prefabricated. And goes some way to solving the huge problem of managing the mountains of rubbish we throw away.

The Mail, 25/02/2010
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