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Private Property Sale News | Usforhomes
Gross lending at mutuals rocket 54% in May (6th July 2012)
Gross mortgage lending by building societies and other mutual lenders rose 54 percent to £2.8bn in May 2012 compared to £1.8bn May 2011. Click here to read more
Sold on the idea? (June 2012)
Admit it the last time you signed a hefty cheque to cover an estate agent's fee for selling your home you quitely ask yourself: "Could I have done this for myself for free?" see FT article in full http://tinyurl.com/ck24lfc. Usforhomes response well yes you can sell your property yourself and using a For Sale By Owner website like Usformes is just one of the ways of doing this. Some of our customers don't try and sell their properies privately in isolation, most of them do it along side the traditional methods like and estate agent. Which if fine as long as they have a 'sole agent' agreement with the estate agent. We also recommend to all our customers that if they are using both methods they notify the estate agent so there is no confusion when it comes to 'who sold your house', was it you, or was it the 'estate agent'. If the lead came through a site like Usforhomes or the other methods you have used to sell your home privately then you don't need to pay commission, but of course if the lead came via your estate agent then you do need to pay a fee. Go to our FAQ's section on our website to read more or contact Justine@usforhomes.com
Rising cost of living hits first-time buyers (7th February 2012)
While a mortgage payments have fallen to 2003 levels, it is now more difficult for first-time buyers to get a foot on the housing ladder than during the 2009 recession, according to a new survey from RBS. The Ability to Buy Index makes pretty morbid reading for any would-be buyers and estate agents selling first-time buyer stock. Fionnuala Earley (below), RBS Group UK Consumer Economist, says: “Our new index provides the most accurate picture available today of the squeeze on first-time buyers, by including the effects of tax, National Insurance, earnings and rising living costs, in addition to house prices and interest rates. http://propertydrum.briefyourmarket.com/Newsletters/JUNGLEdrum-The-newsbeat-from-PROPERTYdrum65/Rising-cost-of-living-hits-first-time-buyers.aspxBank of England holds fire on rates (12th January 2012)
BANK of England policy makers have opted to continue with the freeze on interest rates as they attempt to bolster the UK economy. Click here to read the full story
Are UK house prices about to fall? (January 2012)
Are current UK house prices at unsustainable levels? We at MoneyWeek have thought so for some time. And now Gordon Brown's former adviser, David Miles, thinks so too - he's just predicted a housing bust. But, says Brian Durrant, houses are unlike any other asset - and that makes it very difficult to call a crash.
For the British, our homes have been more than dwellings, they have been gold mines. Over the past 10 years real (inflation-adjusted) house prices have doubled, while real disposable incomes have risen by only 29%. Latest figures available show that in 2005, housing made up 53% of the total wealth of UK households, compared with 39% 10 years earlier. Yet again we have been told, the housing boom cannot last and the end is nigh.
http://info.moneyweek.com/property.php?bbcam=adwds&bbkid=house+market+news&x=&jtid=10919953&UID=JF+-+Google&jdid=gg695027&gclid=CJGMsN7Vwq0CFYEmtAod-kAKBg
Rent arrears surge leads to sharp rise in possession orders (8th Dec 2011)
UK house prices see slight rise, Nationwide says (3rd Nov 2011)
"House prices increased year-on-year for the first time in six months in October, with a 0.8% rise, the Nationwide building society has said. Prices went up by 0.4% in October compared with September, making the average home worth £165,650.
But the Nationwide said the figures failed to shift the overall picture of a housing market "treading water".
"Property transaction levels remain subdued and prices essentially flat compared to last year," it said.
"The outlook remains uncertain, but with the UK economic recovery expected to remain sluggish, house price growth is likely to remain soft in the period ahead, with prices moving sideways or drifting modestly lower over the next 12 months," said the Nationwide's chief economist, Robert Gardner".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15528740
DPG and Zoopla merge (14th Oct 2011)"The Digital Property Group Ltd (DPG) and Zoopla Ltd have just announced that they have agreed to merge their respective businesses, creating what they describe as “a credible challenger to long-standing market leader, Rightmove”. Property Drum 14th October 2011
Foreign Investors flooding to the UK (Oct 2011)
The Telegraph report that Foreign investors are flooding into the capital's property market as they seek a safe havenn from the global financial chaos. Click link for more information http://tinyurl.com/6cd8682
Interest rates lowest level
Interest rates on new mortgage deals are at the lowest level since 1988 according to Moneyfacts. The Bank of England is unlikely to raise its bank rate above 0.5%. Buyers however still need to find 20% deposit.
26th September
Sell Your Home via Social Media
Social media is now changing the way we buy and sell property in the UK. The high street is about to see a big change and many small local estate agents may disappear within the next two years.
30 million users daily in the UK use social media by way of communication whether its facebook, twitter or LinkedIn. People are searching more and more on the internet with 95% of people first starting their search here and it’s free. Waiting for the property edition of your local paper may become a thing of the past. So get a head start and advertise your property with Usforhomes; a gateway to property and social media.
High Demand in the UK’s Rental Market
The rental market has come through the recession with demand increasing, Greater London seeing the most increase. The result has been a rise of one million rental households between 2005 and 2010, with rental property now representing just under 16% of the total UK housing stock. Why not use Usforhomes to increase your chances of letting by advertising your properties, the smart way to LET!
Letting your home privately is as simple as 1, 2, 3 and you can make additional savings by using one of our service partners such as Utility Warehouse, Pickfords and Endsleigh insurance.
Rightmove.co.uk Identify Social Media as a must to Market Properties
Rightmove chiefs have identified to the Estate Agent market that social media will play a big part in the future for marketing properties. This comes as Usforhomes reaches 4000 followers on Twitter and over 5000 views of it's properties on it's Youtube channel -us4homes.
David Johnston our in house Social Media guide has the opinion that viewings of properties listed with Usforhomes, have increased dramatically on YouTube and Twitter, @us4homes " We have seen a dramatic increase in traffic over the last 6 months, coming from Twitter and YouTube. Facebook is also growing and we use that to provide listing advice to our existing and new clients. Helping them list their homes in real time, and with the ability to compare notes with other listers, it is a great platform.
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Predict House Prices to increase
A report published by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has prediceted that prices have indeed steadied over the recent unease in the property market, and with more homes coming up for sale, this will have a postitve impact on the market, stimulating confidence which may lead to homes once again increasing in value.
 In the latest study, which monitors the activity and health of the market it is positive about the state of direction indicated by sales, and with a growing number of experts predicting a rise over the next quarter, news is looking good for home sellers who may have been on the market for quite some time.
A spokesman from RICS is quoted as saying "Although bad weather hit the housing market through december, sales levels have remained stable and sentiment appears more positive for the coming months"
Usforhomes listing expert, Julie Simpson believes it is a perfect time for sellers who may have waited to list their property on our site over the chritmas period, will now list their homes knowing the market is taking a positive direction.
It is believed that a shortage of homes for sale combined with a new surge in demand; now that christmas and the bad weather are behind us will ensure a positive direction for the housing market in preperation for the spring buying period.
All in all good news for the property market
What do you think join the discussion on Twitter @us4homes 
Social media home in on the NEW way to sell your house Did you know you can sell your home, on-line, for as little as £89 instead of paying thousands in estate agent fees? It’s becoming increasingly popular to sell privately. It makes sense - acco rding to research by Office of Fair Trading, 90% of prospective buyers initially look for properties via the internet.
What’s more the report states that 27% of vendors would use an alternative to a traditional estate agent if a credible brand was available - like USFORHOMES.
If you’re thinking about selling your home, readers of the Daily Express can save £10 on the £89 advertising price by quoting the promotion code "Express" if signing up with Usforhomes before January 31st 2011.
Usforhomes are using the first platform of its kind in the UK to integrate directly with social  media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter; this allows a unique all in one viewing platform. With access to over 50 million UK users via social media USFORHOMES has become the first property website to harness the power of social media this way. No Estate Agent or Rightmove, etc have used facebook to it's full  potential and utilised it as a property search engine. Usforhomes.com properties are also featured on prime property portals including Google, Fish4homes, and the preferred partner for private listings with Home.co.uk
Such is its success; Usforhomes.com is now looking for additional sales people to join its regional franchise network which provides the perfect way to create an additional income stream. The business can be run from home on a part-time, or full-time, basis offering the flexibility to fit around other commitments. Why not visit one of their road shows in early 2011 to find out more about becoming a local area sales agent; opportunities await anyone committed to developing and marketing their own territory. Click here for further information
USFORHOMES launches New Viewer to Listings Pages
We have now listed your properties in our exclusive interactive viewer
The viewer now used on our website for all private listings is now fully interactive. Usforhomes.com have utilised this viewer to ensure your property is as marketable as possible, to ensure a swifter sale.
The viewer which also interacts with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, allows potential buyers to not only view images of your property; but, combines interactive tools such as:
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Google Maps including Street View & Local Area information such as Banks, Schools, Restaur ants & More -
Directions to Property, Weather for that area, Mortgage Calculator -
Share in your Social Media Accounts, Facebook, Myspace, Etc. -
Music and Voice over narration to describe your property -
Full Manipulation of images including zoom function -
Floor Plan Viewer
Take a look at one of our listings with the interactive viewer
Julie Simpson - Usforhomes Director and Property Agent Professional appears on Landlord-Law BlogJulie; Usforhomes resident property prefessional comments on the introduction of UFH to the market place and the power it can give to private landlords. Landlord-Law Blog is written by Tessa Shepperson a landlord and Tennant Solicitor specialising in these fields, Tessa Offers various services to Tennants and Landlords alike.
>> Fixed fee advice service
>> Repossession service
>> Tenancy agreements amendment service
>> Our referral service for all other areas of work
Usforhomes.com uses Social Media as a Property Search Engine - First in the U.K. Usforhomes.com has become the first UK property portal to utilise Facebook as a property search engine, all the properties listed on usforhomes.com can now be viewed in Facebook, Twitter and on our own YouTube Channel. Utilising Facebook as an extension to usforhomes.com has allowed UFH to become the first property portal to use Facebook as a search engine. All of the listings will now preview on Facebook, Twitter and on our very YouTube Channel. The software provided by EAD ltd, is a first for the UK, and connects us with our ever growing popularity on Facebook, and Twitter.Goto our page now and click the Like button to view all of our properties
House prices fall 0.1% but hopes rise
Thursday, 9 December 2010 House prices fell by 0.1% in November but there are hopes the market may be stabilising, Halifax said today. Property prices in the three months to November were 0.7% lower than a year earlier, which was their first annual decline since November 2009. However, Halifax said there were signs homeowners were becoming more reluctant to put properties on the market, which would help slow the recent quarterly falls in house prices. The month-on-month decline in November took the average house price to £164,708 and followed a record 3.7% fall in September and a 1.8% increase in October.SIMON RUBINSOHN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CHARTERED SURVEYORS
"We expect prices to slip a little further over the coming months, but believe the risk of large house price falls is relatively limited. Key RICS lead indicators measuring the gap between demand and supply suggest the gap is beginning to narrow, which points to a more stable picture for early 2011."
Sunday 28th November - usforhomes.com opens group on Business Network Linkedin
 A networking tool to provide recommendations in the business environment.
Looking to run a business in the Property industry contact us here
Radio Broadcast
Radio broadcast on WireFM has been a huge success for North West homes for Sale.Listen Here to the our broadcast on The Wire
Wednesday 10th November - Selling Property Privately is a Growing Trend! – states The Advisory:-
More and more people have realised that to sell property privately all you need are:
• Common sense
• Decent organisational skills
• The desire to save a considerable sum of money
The OFT interviewed a sample of these private sellers and their findings were dramatic:
"91% reported the whole process ran extremely smoothly. Most said they would do it again"
Compare that to the findings of the Which report which stated:
"50% of sellers who used Estate Agents were dissatisfied with the service they received"
There is even a recent study by the "Interactive in Media Retail Group", IMRG (The global e-retailing industry body) looking at the rise in popularity of selling a house privately.
They forecast that by 2010 nearly half (that's 700,000) of all property sold in the UK each year will be without the help of a traditional Estate Agent.
Wednesday 3rd November 2010 - Social networks
Results so far for Twitter : 1,626 Following 1,052 Followers 21 Listed
Which is above average and we are on target to hit 3,000
We are now live on Twitter and Facebook and are hoping to get 3,000 followers on Twitter alone.followers.
T uesday 19th October - SOCIAL NETWORKS
Follow us on Twitter @us4homes
Monday 4th October - Major Property Portals
We are in talks with another major property portal with a view to listing our properties giving us an additional 50 million property searches per month.
Thurday 23rd September 2010 - Launch of new website
 Usforhomes launch their new website, thank you to all our customers for their patience and on-going support.
Tuesday 7th September 2010 - Dragons Den Due to the overwhelming response following our appearance on Dragons Dens we are currently updating our website to cater for unprecedented volumes of traffic. Episode 9, Dragons Den BBC 2 2010
September 2010 - Private InvestmentSince meeting the Dragons USFORHOMES are pleased to announce we have secure private investment funding. Click here to see what our investor had to say.
Google Property Search
 Google finally launch their long awaited Property Search feature, to find out more click here.
Usforhomes are delighted with this new service as it is a great step forward for the 'For Sale By Owner' sector, and it goes without saying all our properties are uploaded at no extra cost to our customers.
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