Welcome to this week’s MMS property news round-up. There’s plenty happening in the property arena this week with the CML stating that homebuyer mortgages rose by 12% in February and Countrywide announced that mortgage applications have returned to pre-recession levels.

Buying activity is continuing to pick up in the UK residential property market but house price rises are slowing, according to the latest survey to be published from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and apparently the upcoming election is causing homeowners to get the jitters as estate agents report a 6% increase in properties for sale last month.

And finally, it's pretty unusual to visit a house where a long crack in the brickwork might be said to add value to the property, but in the case of Pinfold Manor, a roomy Edwardian pile in the leafiest of Surrey suburbs, the crack is not just a crack: it's a crack of outstanding historical interest, as it was caused by the suffragettes bombing the property – even hat pins were found at the scene of the crime!

Mortgage applications at pre-recession levels

Mortgage applications have returned to pre-recession levels according to Countrywide, the mortgage broker and property services group.

The Telegraph, 13/04/10
Click here for more details

Treasury saw buy-to-let threat to first-time buyers

• Danger of market overheating missed, say campaigners
• Gordon Brown knew market was distorted but failed to act

The Guardian, 12/04/10
Click here for more details

Homebuyer mortgages rise but housing market remains flat

Homebuyer mortgages in February rose by 12%, the CML says, but reports from Rics and the DCLG paint a mixed picture.

The Guardian, 13/04/10
Click here for more details

Surge in properties for sale as homeowners get pre-election jitters

• Estate agents report 6% increase in properties last month
• Industry claims political uncertainty is fuelling rise in sales
• BRC says retail sales up 6.6% on a year earlier

The Guardian, 13/04/10
Click here for more details

Housing market: Seller numbers 'outweighing buyers'

The property market has bounced back after its dip at the start of 2010.

BBC News, 13/04/10
Click here for more details

Residential property sales activity continues to pick up in UK but prices are falling in some locations

Buying activity is continuing to pick up in the UK residential property market but house price rises are slowing, according to the latest survey to be published today.

Property Wire, 13/04/10
Click here for more details

Property in Surrey: The house the suffragettes bombed

Pinfold Manor in the leafiest of Surrey suburbs has an explosive past.

The Telegraph, 15/04/10
Click here for more details

Send this Newsletter to a friend