The National Association of Estate Agents says 45 per cent of its member agents believe the Conservatives' flagship housing policy of building 200,000 more homes will have the most favourable impact on the housing market.
Some 57 per cent of agents believe Labour's proposed mansion tax will have a negative effect on the market.
The managing director of the association, Mark Hayward, says: Demand is still vastly outweighing supply in this country, so it is clear something needs to be done to aid this growing problem. Whoever wins it is vital that building more affordable homes is top of their agenda.
Forty six per cent of NAEA members believe the lead up to the election, on May 7, will produce a significant slowdown in the market.
Comments
Well said, @Green Top Milkman and @AlgarveInvestor. All these people in 2m plus houses having to pay an annual charge Oh, my heart bleeds.
It's about time industry commentators stopped bleating about the mansion tax. Apart from 1% of the housing stock in London and a handful of second homes in the south-west, it will affect virtually nobody and will have a negligible effect on the property market accordingly. Can the chattering classes in the capital find something more productive to talk about
[quote]Some 57 per cent of agents believe Labour's proposed mansion tax will have a negative effect on the market.[/quote]
How exactly How many houses outside the South East will actually be affected by a tax on homes over the 2m threshold This smacks of self-interest more than anything. Surely, other than high-end agents like Savills and Knight Frank, most estate agents wouldn't have 2m plus properties on their books, so why would this have a detrimental effect on the property market.