Scots buying and selling homes in the future face higher fees and a more tortuous troublesome legal process unless plans by the Law Society of Scotland are withdrawn, experts say. The society next week ends its consultation on the introduction of mandatory separate legal representation for borrowers and lenders. That would mean two sets of […]

HOUSE prices rose by more than £50,000 on average in Scotland during the last ten years as the property boom fuelled an unprecedented surge in the value of people’s homes. Despite the crash in the market brought about by the economic downturn, new figures suggest homeowners are still placed to enjoy a massive return on […]

Today deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the Scottish Government’s decision to abolish the right of council tenants to buy the homes they rent at a discounted rate in Scotland. In 2011, the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme which was introduced in 1980 by Margaret Thatcher’s Government, was declared unavailable for new tenants and new social […]

Housebuilder CALA is reporting record profits and an acceleration of planning consent for housing developments. This will be pleasing news to the new owners who are planning for a return to the stock market. The company’s gross margins are up from 16.4% to 19% year on year, private completions are 4% higher at 695, and […]

Bodies representing estate agents and lenders joined forces last night to call for urgent reform of the current Home Report system. Home reports were introduced five years ago replacing the traditional property survey as the property market began to go into decline. The cost of a Scottish Home Report is £480 and the report includes […]