Celebrating my 3rd work Anniversary!
July 20, 2020
On the 17th of this month, I celebrated my third anniversary of setting up MBS Land & New Homes!
Although April, during full lockdown, was a complete non-event, I am delighted to say that May and June picked up and July is actually busy!
On a weekly/monthly basis, my work is varied which is great. Most of my time is spent out and about carrying out appraisals on potential development and pricing. Recently my work has increased in terms of dealing with the marketing of sites and the ever-present issues of dealing with the respective Estate Agents to maximise sales and profitability.
In terms of clients, these vary from smaller developers through to large national Plcs, and I appreciate the loyalty shown to me by all my clients.
Potential land acquisitions seems to take up so much of my time, with the lead times appearing to be forever lengthening between initial visits through to completion – I know I’m not alone in finding that.
Thank you to all my clients and fingers crossed that the remainder of 2020 will be positive and profitable
Martin

All measures of sales market activity continue to improve as pent-up demand returns to the housing market. Buyer demand is 11% higher than a year ago. A better indicator of market health is sales agreed which are 15% higher than a year ago – evidence of greater buyer confidence and more realism on pricing by sellers. The North East (+17%) and London (+16%) have led the rebound in sales.

Sales hold up in Q4 2023, providing support for prices
The final weeks of 2023 have recorded above average levels of new sales, 17% higher than a year ago and ahead of 2019 levels. Market sentiment is improving due to rising incomes and an initial decline in mortgage rates. An increase in available supply, up a quarter on last year, is also boosting choice and supporting sales.

Affordability and value for money will be the big key drivers for the housing market in 2023. These two factors are going to flip the flight to rural and coastal areas, which has dominated the housing market in recent years, into reverse. Instead, apartments and urban areas, which lost some of their popularity during the pandemic as the nation began the search for more space in idyllic locations, are making a comeback.

January 4, 2022- back to work and some sense of “normality”. I expect like so many of us we have all had our festive arrangements changed by the dreaded “Omicron” over the past few weeks, although hopefully we can all get back in front of our laptops, keep looking ahead and get on with what hopes to be a more promising and positive year ahead.

MPs have backed setting the cost of ground rents on new houses in England and Wales at "one peppercorn" a year. The government-sponsored plan, if it becomes law, will effectively leave owners who buy only leases - rather than freeholds - paying nothing. The move follows concerns that leaseholders are being charged exorbitant, fast-rising ground rents

Borrowing money in the UK is now as cheap as it ever was - and it's been that way for years. But perhaps not for much longer. The country's main interest rate, set by the Bank of England, has been below 1% since 2009, in the wake of the global financial crisis. In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic caused the biggest economic slowdown for centuries, the rate was cut to an all-time low of 0.1%. But now the tide is turning and that era of ultra-cheap money could be coming to an end.