Over the last few months the shape of the housing market has changed drastically, as it has shifted from looking as if it would stabilise to a future that matches the current state of economic uncertainty. In fact, just a few months ago, consumers were looking at the best mortgage rates in the last few decades and mortgage lending was at an all time high.

Now, however, with the eurozone crisis impacting the banks lending abilities and increasing the interbank Libor, rate the housing market looks poised to take another dive back down. However, this time as the housing market dives, the mortgage rates are not going to be so great as banks are finding themselves forced to increase their rates in order to make up for the higher costs of wholesale lending between each other.

Many major banks have already increased their standard variable rates while other major lenders have taken off their best mortgage deals and replaced them with much higher rates and put many associated mortgage fees back in place that they were previously waiving in order to cover their expenses.  In addition, most banks are expected to tighten their mortgage lending criteria again.

This time around not only the average home buyer is likely to be affected by the increase in the mortgage rate, as many worry that the commercial mortgage market is also going to take the brunt of the recent economic troubles. With many construction projects stalled during the recession due to a lack of funds experts fear that the rising interest rates could hurt those who hold commercial property that they have not yet been able to develop.

For these commercial owners sitting on vacant property that is now even more expensive to afford, this may simply be the straw that breaks their back. In addition, as European banks are choosing to sell their assets outside of the region, many international developers are taking a step away from investing in commercial property within the UK, which will also hurt both development and the economy in major metropolitan areas such as London and Manchester.

Overall, the Eurozone crisis is expected to continue to wreak havoc on the state of the housing market in England, until it is resolved and with no clear ending or resolution in sight, it is likely that the housing market and the commercial property market is going to become much more unstable again.

For quite some time now, the commercial mortgage market in London has been climbing upwards after a few years of stalled activity due to the recession and the credit crunch.  This has been seen as a stepping stone to more employment, but the increase seen in London has not been reflected in many other areas of England.  However, now several regions are seeing their commercial property markets start to increase in a move that is welcomed by plenty of workers and developers who see the switch as a sign that the economy is started to stabilise and broaden.

Regional commercial mortgage rates are starting to get a bit better outside of London due to the low Bank of England base rate which has helped make property purchases a bit more attractive in regional areas of the country.  While performance of the commercial market is still at its height in London, there are several other areas that are beginning to see that as the amount of renters continues to increase now is the time to act to cash in on the high market value of rental properties.

Chief executive officer and capital market head Ezra Nahome of Lambert Smith Hampton stated that most of the focus of commercial mortgage activity has been in London over the past few years but still compared to a few years ago the regions are starting to see their commercial property get a bit more attention and higher performance figures as well.  He added that in Scotland there has especially been a high amount of focus on the office sector market and that office space in the cities in particular has been the focus of a great deal of activity.

He also added that the Thames Valley market is seeing a great deal of tenant demand driving  a lot of commercial products as well, because as the need for rental properties increase property developers that are savvy on investments are going to get them built to accommodate.  This has also been reflected throughout most of the UK as larger cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh, and more have seen their rental rents sharply increase as more people are seeking rental properties due to an inability to get a mortgage or fear of taking a mortgage in the uncertain economic times.

For those that are interested in investing in business development the news is positive as commercial mortgage rates are finally starting to echo the housing market as they are decreasing as well.  This is good news as those with a vested interest in investment are starting to benefit from the decrease in the mortgage rates making investment a more viable option at the moment.   While there is product fees attached to many of these deals, those with the upfront cash are taking advantage of the deals on the market.

This is due to the fact that most returns on a commercial mortgage property are now anticipated to be up to as high as double in just ten to twenty years.  Therefore, if you have the capital to make a large investment in a development now is the time as the overall market prices are low and the promised return is expected to be high.  While it may take some time to fully see the results of the investment, it is known as a rental market right now and those that have commercial space to rent will see the high rewards of their actions.

With this thought in mind, if you have the capital to invest as a business man or even just privately now is the time to consider taking a look at the different commercial mortgage properties available on the market to see what options are in front of you.  Due to the fact that there are now an increasing number of deals available on the market there has never been a better time to invest in properties that will eventually show a large reward and profit for those that take advantage of the many opportunities out there in the recovering economy.

The first quarter of 2011 brought good news to the Northern Irish housing market when after a four year slide in home loans there as a rise in the mortgage loans.  Home owners also saw the best mortgage rates over the past there months which helped them to get their loans approved and finally get their foot up on the housing market ladder.  The wider margins are the result of banks’ access to money market financing falling which the Central Bank said resulted in lengthier margins overall that helped benefit property purchasers.

The Central Bank compiled the figures that show that mortgage lending is on the rise by gathering statistics from the leading five Irish banking lenders who all reported their euro zone bank lending figures.  Included in the figures are the cost of funds of the bank combined with the lending risks, balance sheet constraints, and the tighter credit standards.  Even with these factors in mind a spokeswoman stated that these factors were not enough to change the lending standards even though they did show an increase in lending giving faith back to those who want to pursue a commercial mortgage or a personal homeowner mortgage.

Also revealed in the Central Bank survey was that wholesale funding markets were starting to fall apart over the first few months of 2011 with banks anticipating the fact that they will not be able to make use of the unsecured money market.  This may hurt mortgage rates North and South of the border as the banks are forced to get more selective in who they loan to without the proper debt securities in place to back mortgage lending.  This is aligned with the Department of Finance predictions last year that Irish banks will need to turn to the ECB for aid over the course of 2011 before they can get back into the wholesale market next year.

Commercial mortgage interest in mortgages for non-financial businesses did not change over Q1 of 2011 although there is expected to be a slight increase during the next quarter of the year.  The stagnant rate of growth for these types of mortgages at the beginning of the year were blamed on reduced lending facilities, debt restructuring, lower levels of fixed investment, and lower demand for business credit.  The tentative approach to business acquisitions and mergers also likely kept the market moving slow over the beginning of the year.

Northern Rock is hoping to get back into the wholesale money market by taking a stab at issuing bonds that are secured with mortgages.  The bank, which is head quartered out of Newcastle stated that only the best mortgage rates would be considered as it slowly starts to get back into the mortgage market after a period of time in which the mortgage market was considered too unstable to be a safe investment.

The Newcastle banking system ran into trouble back in 2007 because it was too dependent on wholesale markets to provide funding for its mortgage lending which led them close to bankruptcy.  The move that they are making to use bonds to secure their mortgage lending is known as mortgage securitization and is predicted to help Northern Rock raise about £370m which is about 2% of the balance that the bank currently has been able to rebuild.  By securing bonds against any commercial mortgage requests they grant the investment should be much sounder of the banking institute.

The point of securing mortgages by backing them with loans is so that the ban can bundle their respective loans together which can then be sold off to interested investors so that the balance sheets are freed up for the bank and they then have the room to offer more loans to those looking to secure the best mortgage rates.

As of yet Northern Rock has been able to keep their title as a ‘good bank’ since it made the wise decision in January of 2010 to separate from the NRAM which is considered a ‘bad bank.’  To keep their status the bank plans to continue to offer most of its primary fund lending via the process of retail deposits.  Thus, this announcement shows that it is heading back to normalcy with the potential sale.

A Northern Rock spokesman stated that the move is a return for the bank back to usual business and that raising money by investing in the wholesale markets is what every bank should be doing if they operating at full tilt.

As the second week of March comes to a close mortgage lending is still reported to be slow with the housing market falling deeper into a rut and house prices growing stagnant.  Fear of higher mortgage rates and the costs to the economy of increasing unemployment appear to be keeping even those who could get approved from seeking out loans to purchase a new home.  Also adding to the mixture is the fact that with high deposit requirements first time buyers are also passing largely on the housing market choosing instead to rent over purchasing a mortgage.

Over last quarter many felt that the housing market depression was the result in poor freezing winter weather amidst the cuts of the government and unemployment, but now many are blaming the late Easter for the housing market staying in a slump for both the private and commercial mortgage market.  Easter is generally the signal for the housing market to open back up as many starts to think about buying homes and real estate agents noticing a sharp increase in the amount of people who choose to view open homes due to the spring weather that is associated with the holiday.

However, chief economist for the CML, Bob Pannell stated that due to the fact that Easter does not come until the last week of April the pick up that real estate agents usually note about this time of year has been largely absent.  He explained that this year Easter is a full three weeks later then it was last year and stated that it is a known fact that by studying the mortgage trends and home buying rends Easter is generally when people begin to approach the market looking for the best mortgage rates with a renewed fervour.

Between the months of January to February lending overall in the mortgage sector remained stagnant and only improved slightly when compared to lent last year according to figures that were compiled by the CML.  The CML did point out that while mortgage lending is still depressed and at is lowest point that has been seen for almost ten years, remortgaging is steadily continuing to increase as people are in search of fixed mortgages to prevent getting hurt by the increase in interest rates expected to occur this year.

While many people saw the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) report that commercial property uptake in London as a sign that the property market and overall outlook for commercial mortgage rates is starting to rise a certain degree of caution should be exercised when stating that the commercial market has bounced back.  This is due to the fact that in the next few months it is highly unlikely that London will continue to exhibit signs of growth due to the fact that the construction industry is still quite fragile and the fact that economic uncertainty is still looming over the country and London heavily.

RICS reported that during the final quarter of 2010 workloads for most construction workers increased with less members of the association reporting a decline in developments, but as a group the survey group believes that the government cuts that are coming up and the lack of bank finance when it comes to securing a commercial mortgage will continue to drown out any demand for new projects.  RICS stated that the headline of the net balance is a bit less negative, but it is by no mean a clear marker that can be used in terms of the regional level of commercial property activity.

The glimmer of hope for the commercial market in London came in the fact that the overall balance of the average construction workload shifted from a dismal -10 to a more uplifting -5.  However, this is only for London as other areas in Northern England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland were not quite as uplifting and there is still no positive sign that the market has bounced back in any widespread fashion which is reflected in the private market as well as people are fleeing towards fixed mortgages.

RICS pointed this fact out in a statement that said that outside of the wide marked difference between regions there was a large divergence noted between the two different property markets.  Within the private sector there was also a slight increase in the net balance, but one quarter of difference is not enough data to secure an actual trend and with the current profit margins and employment outlook in the construction sector the chances of seeing further improvement is not looking too rosy.

New research shows that the average price of a property rental continued to fall over the course of January as more investors are looking into the letting market due to the great buy to let mortgage rates that are hard to turn away.  This is the second month in a row in which the home rental market continued to take a dive which is great news for those considering letting but bad news for investors that want to make a high turn around on their properties.

The research was conducted by LSL Property Services which found that the average rent across Wales and England showed an average drop of about .3% over January weighing in on average at about £682 per month for a home rental.  The LSL group stated that this is a result of professional landlords trying to compensate for the supply and demand mismatch which has been helping buy to let individuals keep their rents up high as the demand has outweighed the supply for a great deal of time.  It is for this reason that buy to let mortgage rates have also remained reasonable for property investors.

Despite the drop in rents, the letting agency stated that rents are still almost 4% higher than they were during 2010 which placed property letters in a very good position.  Over in Shropshire Blafours letting head stated that the market demand is continuing to increase and the rental stocks are starting to dry up which is going to alter the rents as well even as it may appear that they are falling.  Tart added that last year they had a ratio of one available rental for every five prospective tenants, and now the ratio is looking to be closer to ten.

Tart attributes the lack of social housing and council properties as one reason for the increase in rental inquiries.  She also want on to mention that with mortgage rates increasing and many lenders being denied the mortgages they apply for they are forced to turn to rental properties as a solution which has helped keep the buy to let property market bustling with activity.    She added that many people simply do not want to move because they do not want to make any sudden changes such as buying a home instead of a rental until the economy is stable again.

With commercial mortgage rates on the increase now it looks as if the commercial property market is starting to split into two very different sectors according to information put forth by Rael Levitt the Auction Alliance CEO.   Levitt explained that investors are tough to find returns that are not evident in the normal savings facilities and thus are looking for buy to let mortgage rates from commercial properties that will allow them to see returns that are closer to what they would traditionally expect to see.  In layman’s terms, due to poor savings returns investors are buying into property they can let for high quick returns that they can use now.

Levitt explained further that investors are now taking a closer look at the commercial properties because they hope to see quick yields that over time will lead to capital growth and now many investors are fighting hand and fist for their place in the trophy market.   This is due to the fact that if you own a property to let out with high end shops nearby the demand for these locations can be large bringing in very high competitive letting rates that will quickly pay back any investment on the property itself.

On the other side of the spectrum are commercial properties that hold very little hope as commercial mortgage hotspot as they are in locations that are impossible to let out and have little hope for attracting new tenants.  This includes properties that are located in areas that are already densely populated with merchants or in run down shopping complexes that most people have no reason to stop by.  When the market was more stable buyers would cling to these locations as great starter spots, but with a weak demand the interest is low and thus demand is lower creating very low letting prices and potential.

At a time when interest rates and mortgage rates are continuing to raise it seems that Google’s interest in mortgages is down as the global internet giant has announced that they will be shelving their brief foray into the real estate market.  This weekend Google announced that they will not be placing property listings on their Google map service anymore as of February 10^th after two years of trying to break into the property business.  UK mortgage companies however welcomed the news as listings sites online saw an increase in their traffic as a result of the news.

Google claims that they are dropping the property listings service because they faced too many challenges in trying to overtake yet another online search venue.  According to the company, the fact that there were already suburb property queue tools online combined with the actually challenge of integrating the property listings into their maps made it too hard for them to create a profitable property platform.  Of course, adding to their dilemma was the fact that instead of simply targeting an area, as many commercial mortgage real estate brokers do online, Google jumped ahead and attempted to target the global market all at once.

In response to the news, Shares of Rightmove which is the largest property listing site for those that live in the UK saw an increase of four percent in the amount of traffic it received Friday which it reported was a record for the website.  Google allowed both individuals and agents to upload their property listings to Google maps for free which was a threat to many brokers and real estate companies as the search engine simply pulled listings from website listings which threatened the very basis for exclusive listings from top notch property companies.

A spokesman from Rightmove however said that the company did not notice any negative side effects from the Google site listings and in fact said they saw a record in their site views since the Google Maps property service launched.  This may be potentially due to the fact that many commercial mortgage property websites choose to place Google Map apps on their website and used the tool to direct traffic their way as interested parties looked into properties.  Google may be the web giant, but it seems that even the ruling ecommerce business cannot help aid the crumbling real estate market.