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Archive for the ‘Regions’ Category

Indicators Mounting to Suggest Second Dip in UK Housing Market

After a strong rebound from March last year, UK house prices are now in danger of the second-dip scenario analysts have long warned of. Since last March there have been many occasions when it looked like the second dip would become a reality, but this time the signs are mounting up one on top of the other.

Google Street View Now Has Full UK Coverage

Starting from today, Google will be adding 210,000 miles of UK roads to its mapping service – Google Street View. This would give Google Street View 96 per cent coverage of the entire UK. Prior to today, only about 28,000 miles of UK roads were shown via Google Street View. Google Street View’s introduction was a bit of a controversy initially, with a streams of privacy invasion complaints but Google ‘fixed’ these issues by blurring out faces and car number plates.

It has to be said that Google’s Street View service has been somewhat of a success since its inception around a year ago – 1 in 5 people use is to find their next home! 3 in 5 people use it to find their way and others use it to check out prospective holiday destinations. Google Maps (Street View’s parent service), has seen a 30% increase in usage since the Street View service was introduced.

Google Street View Car

Google Street View Car

Photo credits: Daniel Bowen via Flickr

Luxury Property in Vietnam Bought by Locals Causes a Stir

Vietnam’s luxury property sector has been surprised by a rise in local Vietnamese buyers, filling the void left by the exodus of foreigners at the tail end of 2008.

Last year saw locals buy into the Hyatt Regency Residence and Ocean Villas in Danang or Sanctuary Ho Tram Resort in Ba Ria Vung Tau province where an apartment is priced at at least $180,000 and a villa up to $1.7 million.

US Housing Market Could Once Again be Rocked by Securities

Analysts are predicting a rise in US interest rates, when the Federal Reserve (FED) stops its policy of buying mortgage backed securities at the end of March, because — say the analysts — the FED’s expectation that foreign government-owned funds will step in to fill the void, will not be realised to the degree the FED is hoping for.

Trump Towers Atlanta in Foreclosure Questions

trump-towers-atlanta Donald Trump is currently caught up in the foreclosure crisis sweeping America. Apparently the loan on the Trump Towers project in Atlanta is slated to be sold at a securities auction.

However, it is unclear exactly how much Trump has to do with the 48-story condo tower, at 15th and West Peachtree Streets; Atlanta-based Wood Partners, LLC and New York-based Dezer Properties Inc are also named on the paperwork.

Chinese Authorities Fight Irresponsible Mortgage Lending – Sound Familiar?

Apartment Blocks in Xu Jia Hui Garden China

In what is one of the biggest ironies the world may have ever seen, because of stimulatory measures taken to stave off the effects of the financial crisis, several countries are now having to act quickly to avoid their housing markets overheating, and to curb the same irresponsible subprime lending practices that caused the crash in the first place.

Will Foreigners Buy Greek Property Despite the Financial Crisis?

corfu-island-greece

By now anyone who hasn’t been living under a stone for the last month has heard of the Greek financial crisis. Basically, Greek has a massive budget deficit and investors have grown concerned about the government’s ability to bring it back under control, which has subsequently weakened the EU and the euro — not least because it highlights similarly huge deficits in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and the UK.

Letting Some Steam out of the Canadian Housing Market

sunset-in-toronto-canada Canada has lost track of its geographic location, or you would certainly think so if you look at the Canadian housing market. In a year when house prices around the world fell, Canadian house prices rose some 20% in 2009. Yes, Canada was not the only country to see a rapid rise in prices, Australia, New Zealand and several countries in Asia did also, but Canada is certainly the only country on the Americas Land Mass that saw such rapid growth in house prices in 2009. Now the Central Bank and authorities are being forced to take measures to cool the housing market down.

UK Court Rules Against British Couple in North Cyprus Property Ownership Row

Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

A UK court has dealt a damming blow to the North (Turkish) Cyprus property market. For years people have bought property in North Cyprus at prices far below the prices south of the division, unfortunately, the reason why prices were so low is now threatening to leave them without a home and with thousands to pay in compensation and back-rent.

Profiling the Recovery Part III: Spain

Knowing — or maybe believing is a better word — that property markets and economies around the world are on the way back up sure is a nice feeling. It may be a short-lived feeling, because according to some there are signs that the short-lived positivity will end as quickly as it begun.