We’re Oxfordshire’s Number One Estate Agent!
The stats are in are in and it’s official! When it comes to selling property, we are streets ahead of the competition. Zoopla’s latest report shows that we sold 25% more homes than any other agent across Oxfordshire last year. We believe it’s all about trust and pedigree. Thomas Merrifield is your local independent estate […]
Fifth consecutive year that rents rise
Rents were up by 4.6% year-on-year in January 2025, according to the Goodlord Rental Index. They ended the month at £1,207 per property, on average. This is up from the £1,154 recorded a year ago, in January 2024. This 4.6% boost is an acceleration in the pace of annual rent rises compared to recent months. […]
Base rate to 4.5% – lowest rate since June 2023
The bank base rate has been cut by a quarter percent and is now at its lowest rate since June 2023. The bank says that if inflationary pressures continue to ease, it should be able to reduce interest rates further over time. It will be monitoring the British economy and global developments very closely and […]
Affordability stretched but gradually improving
There has been a modest improvement in UK housing affordability over the last year due to earnings growth marginally outpacing house price growth and a slight reduction in average borrowing cost says the latest Nationwide Affordability Report. Mortgage market activity and house prices proved surprisingly resilient in 2024. Annual house price growth ended the year […]
Renters’ Rights Bill is being implemented this spring
The Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 evictions and introduce a single system of periodic tenancies and is the most significant reform the private rented sector (PRS) has seen since the Housing Act 1988. The Bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords and has wide-ranging implications for landlords, tenants and letting agents. […]
Year on year rental increase slows down
According to the Goodlord Rental Index, the average monthly price for a rental property in England dropped to £1,205 in November, a £33 decrease from last month’s £1,238. Void periods lengthened, as the market cools off after a summer of high demand. October saw year-on-year rent increases reach 4% – the lowest recorded in the year […]
Usual seasonal lull, as some movers wait for Boxing Day bounce
New seller asking prices drop by a seasonal 1.7% (-£6,395) this month to £360,197, in line with the usual December monthly fall, with sellers’ pricing power diminishing as Christmas approaches, says Rightmove in its latest index. Prices end the year 1.4% above December 2023, and the portal predicts that new seller asking prices will rise […]
What do stamp duty changes mean for you when you buy property?
Stamp duty relief thresholds will be changing from 1 April 2025 reducing to £300,000 for first-time buyers and £125,000 for home movers which will see more stamp duty being paid. How much stamp duty will you pay? Completing on a property before April 1st 2025, could mean stamp duty savings. So act fast by booking […]
Property market showing positivity
UK property market is improving but ‘realistic pricing’ is key Agents’ and surveyors’ expectations of house price increases over the next 12 months have turned positive for the first time since October 2022. The latest RICS Residential Market Survey for August shows that house prices are expected to rise in the next 12 months, the […]
Tenant demand continues to outstrip supply
Propertymark’s latest research reveals that overall tenant demand continues to outstrip supply, with around eight new applicants registered for each available property in July 2024. The average cost of a new rental home in England was 7% higher in August compared to the same time last year. In August 2023, rents sat at £1,347. Over […]
