The Telegraph is reporting that the big property developers are keeping busy. Whilst not exactly boom time again it seems that things are at least stabilising, and not getting any worse.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/9001042/Housebuilders-to-report-resilient-property-market.html
Meanwhile a survey by the Halifax of local authority areas shows that if you’re living in the right part of the UK and have a sizeable deposit first time buyers can afford to get on the property ladder. Whether or not they could afford to by a new-build home remains to be seen.
And in a separate Halifax survey it is reported that the total number of empty homes in England increased by 1.8% in 2011.
The number, which includes all private and public empty homes, including those vacant for less than six months, jumped from 650,127 in April 2010 to 662,105 at the same period this year.
While the total number of empty homes is on the rise, the number of long-term empty private homes in England has fallen to its lowest level since 2008. Private long-term empty homes account for 44% of all empty housing, with the rest taken up by short-term empty private homes and all empty public homes, including council and social housing.