From April this year stamp duty tax has increased for all buy to let and second home purchases.   A 3% surcharge will be applied and a new £40,000 threshold will be introduced. The change aims to free up housing for buyers, it also means anyone owning a second property that isn't their main residence and buying another or replacing the one they...

Richard Ramsey, Chief Economist NI at Ulster Bank, analyses the latest PMI Report, and comments on the improvement within the local housing market. See link below. https://ulstereconomix.com/2016/02/24/housing-market-recovery-still-a-long-way-to-go/

It has been a major concern for mortgage borrowers for the past number of years that they could be paying unnecessary mortgage fees without knowing, but now the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the consumer group Which? have jointly launched a new tariff, which spells out mortgage fee in a simple and straight forward format. The move comes a year after Which? warned customers they...

  The number of Northern Ireland tenants who are seriously behind on their rent payments has risen to its highest level in two years according to Stephen Rea Estate Agents. Recent data highlights that there are over 70,000 private sector tenants that owe more than two months’ rent. (*) Steve Rea, Managing Director for Stephen Rea Estate Agents says: “While...

It has just been confirmed this month that house prices have risen across all parts of the UK for a thrid consecutive month in October 2015 whilst Stocks and Shares continue to fall. The recent RICS report suggests house prices are to rise by 4.5% each year over the next five years, which equals an approximate cumulative increase of around 25%. RICS' report also claims that new...

Following the recent sucess of over the past two years, Mount Stewart will be once agin hosting a magical light display however this year there will be a Christmas theme. Thanks to all the support recevied from Newtownards Tourism office, the festival of Light will open from 20th Novemeber and run for Nine days. Based on the Son et Lumiere shows that originated in France, This years...

We're now into the middle of November, so in the next few weeks people will begin reviewing what has happened in 2015 and setting new year resolutions. Due to the nation's obsession with house prices and how much our homes are worth, the property industry is one awash with forecasts at this time of year. Staying true to form, then, we thought we would draw your attention to...

As we know, the property market in Northern Ireland has, in recent years, experienced the uncertainty of recession with its unprecedented fluctuating values, longer selling times and limited availability of mortgage finance. It is a well established fact that the average value of a home in this area fell to around half of what it was at the height of the market in the summer of 2007,...

I’ve read numerous articles and heard so many stories that moving house is stressful.  I’ve read reports that it is one of the top three most stressful events that can happen in somebody lives.  Is it really?  There are many more stressful life events out there.  Can we put things into reality?  Is moving house more stressful than losing your job?...

In September 2015 SPR Properties shared we were rebranding and changing our company name to Stephen Rea Estate Agents. However after almost 8 weeks of hard work i can confirm we are almost complete. As you can see from our website, we have changed our domain name from sprproperties.co.uk to stephenreaestateagents.co.uk  and changed our email address from info@sprproperties to...

SPR Properties were established in Newtownards in 2012 by Steve Rea who strived to be an approachable, down to earth and friendly face of local Letting Agents. Since then SPR Properties have grown significantly with now offering a full range of Estate Agency services such as Residential Sales & Lettings, Commercial Sales & Lettings, Mortgages and Finanical Advice. Due to no...

Every week without fail, somebody asks must I have for sale board?  There are various reasons for asking this, ranging from not wanting to upset the neighbours, through to the fear of somebody knocking on their door directly.  Each time I always answer no.  If somebody really does not one, I will not force it upon them. However before you decide against a board, let me tell...

Have you thought about buying a new build home? Buying a new build house can present many opportunities such as picking your own décor, access to incentives and much more. There are many advantages to buying a new build home such as: It is unlikley to require any big repairs or redecorating as everything will be brand new Most new builds come with a 10 year warranty...

The London version of the famous board game Monopoly was introduced back in the 1930s. The London property market has since completely transformed, with property prices soaring and buyer demand increasing it has created a plethora of new property hotspots. According to SPR Properties Estate Agents Research, the following changes would have to be made if the Monopoly board were to be...

Elderly parents moving in with their adult children is nothing new or uncommon. What is relatively new, however, is adult children moving back in with their Eldery parents. According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of 20 to 34-year-olds living with their parents has increased by 25 per cent over the last decade. In 2013 there were 3.3 million 20-34...

As the old saying goes 'you only have one chance to make a first impression as the first impression is always the last' and this is absolutely the case when it comes to selling property, especially when a potential purchaser is coming around. Potential buyers will not 'see through the mess' and it will most definatley impact on their desire to buy your...

So, you have now found a property you want to rent. So what happens next? This guide will provide you with all the information and advice you need to clinch the deal and become a tenant.  Step 1 - Securing that property you want to rent You should begin by putting down a holding deposit in order to state your intention to rent the property and get the...