- Average price of a home is £170,086: Halifax
LONDON - The UK’s biggest mortgage lender Halifax has said in its latest house price survey report that the house price inflation rose to 4.5 percent in the three months ending November. This represents the biggest rise over the last six months and is further evidence that the housing market has begun to wake up from its slumber.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 15:04GMT

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- House prices held steady in November: Nationwide
LONDON - UK house prices remained flat in November, according to the latest figures form the Nationwide building society. This means that the annual inflation for the month was down to 2.4 percent from the 3.3 percent recorded in October.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 09:32GMT

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- Persimmon to buy rival Westbury for £643 million
LONDON - Persimmon has announced that it intends to take over smaller rival Westbury in a deal worth £643 million. This deal will propel Persimmon to the top of the housebuilders' list, thus relegating Barratt Developments to a second place.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 21:04GMT

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- PAC report lauds reduction in homelessness, but asks ODPM to show more creativity
LONDON - A public accounts committee report on the problem of the homeless has criticized Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and has urged him to show imagination in tackling the crisis and ensuring that a long-term solution is in place.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:48GMT

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- Annual house price inflation is 3.3 percent, says ODPM
LONDON - The annual house price inflation in the UK increased to 3.3 percent in September as compared to the 2.8 percent rise recorded in August. This figure is well above analysts expectations of 3.0 percent.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 12:28GMT

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- Property poised for an upturn as prices grow
UK house prices gained for a second month in November showing signs that confidence is returning to Britain's £3.5 trillion property market after a year’s slowdown, according to property Web site Rightmove. The data also shows that prices rose by 0.8 per cent over the last month, the biggest rise since April.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:04GMT

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- Inheritance tax spreads its tentacles to more houses
The number of UK homes which are valued above the inheritance tax threshold have tripled in last five years, according to a research carried out by Halifax. It has found that there are about 2.1 million homes in the UK worth more than £275,000.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 13:04GMT

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- Scottish property market losing gloss: Lloyds TSB
The latest Lloyds TSB Scotland House Price Monitor shows that the booming housing market in Scotland could be heading for a quieter period as the average price of a domestic property in Scotland increased by only 0.8 percent in the three months to October.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 22:16GMT

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- House price fall lowest in 15 months, says RICS
LONDON - The latest figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors show that UK house prices fell at their slowest pace over the last 15 months in October. Also RICS said that growth in new buyer enquiries hit the highest mark in two years

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:28GMT

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- Persimmon in Westbury takeover talks
LONDON - Persimmon Plc confirmed that it had made an approach to take over smaller rival Westbury in a deal that could overtake Barratt's and create Britain’s biggest housebuilder by the volume of sales.

Published on : Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:12GMT

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