London Real Estate Losing Steam

The London real estate market is losing steam with sales struggling to complete.

Tax changes, Brexit uncertainty, higher house prices and difficulties in getting a mortgage approved are making it increasingly hard for people to buy homes in the U.K. capital.

Real estate companies have admitted that a slowdown in sales has affected their profits. London-focused chain Foxtons reported a loss of £2.5 million for the first half of the year, compared to a profit of £3.8 million a year earlier. Savills also said Thursday that residential transactions fell 7 percent in London during the first half of 2018, denting its profits. These were down by 18 percent in the first half of 2018, from a year ago.

Data from Reapit Group, a real estate software company, showed that, on average, houses in the Greater London region were withdrawn from sale after 5.7 months. Almost two-thirds of London properties for sale that departed the market in 2017 were withdrawn, not sold.

via CNBC

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