The stamp duty holiday should be extended to include properties that have exchanged but have yet to complete, a leading accountancy...
Archive
26 January 2021
From: Breaking News

There’s no doubt that the property market underwent a tumultuous year in 2020, where efficiency was required more than ever. Since the...
09 January 2021
From: Features

The government has revealed new regional price caps for its revamped Help To Buy Equity Loan scheme, set to operate between...
19 November 2020
From: Breaking News

Zoopla is the first UK property company to launch advertising on Pinterest, the lifestyle picture-centric social media platform. A statement from Zoopla...
16 November 2020
From: Breaking News

The first monthly market monitor to show activity in the housing market tailing off has appeared - and it says momentum...
11 November 2020
From: Breaking News

Recent figures emanating from the mortgage and housing market suggest that – since lockdown was ended in mid-May – transaction levels...
31 October 2020
From: Features

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been told to avoid a stamp duty holiday cliff-edge next March at any price - because it...
29 October 2020
From: Breaking News

The only certainty at the moment is ongoing uncertainty. It’s something we’ve got used to in 2020, but it’s still not...
10 October 2020
From: Features

Government leaks to mainstream and building trade media suggest the controversial Help To Buy scheme will be extended beyond its end-of-2020 deadline. An...
30 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Hello and welcome to another week. We’re more than aware that it’s a challenging time for our industry as for most...
20 July 2020
From: Breaking News

An industry analyst is challenging the long-established agents’ view that reducing or temporarily scrapping stamp duty would help the market. On the...
08 July 2020
From: Breaking News

A prominent tax specialist has suggested that stamp duty cuts would not help improve the housing market, despite many agents suggesting...
02 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Buyer demand for new-build property has bounced back 66 per cent in the six weeks since the resumption of the housing...
01 July 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been a big rise in demand for new-builds since the lockdown according to figures from Knight Frank - but the...
23 June 2020
From: Breaking News

Online sector veterans Russell Quirk and Kenny Bruce have used social media to call for a temporary scrapping of all stamp...
16 June 2020
From: Breaking News

The outlook for the housing market is still taking shape, but here I take a look at three market indicators to...
30 May 2020
From: Features

Rightmove and Knight Frank are today both calling for a series of government incentives to kick-start the market after the Coronavirus...
20 April 2020
From: Breaking News

The controversial Help To Buy scheme looks likely to be expanded in breadth and extended in duration to help kick-start the...
16 April 2020
From: Breaking News

New research of the buying habits of first-time buyers in the UK we’ve undertaken here at reallymoving.com shows that Shared Ownership...
25 March 2020
From: Features

The Financial Conduct Authority has issued a shock warning that mortgage borrowers who purchased properties through the Help To Buy scheme...
19 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Not for the first time, a government policy on housing ends up begging more questions than it provides answers - but...
08 February 2020
From: Features

The typical house move in 2019 turned out to be just nine miles - and large numbers of buyers moved within...
08 January 2020
From: Breaking News

After a year dogged by Brexit deadlock, political turmoil, and slow growth, estate agents’ confidence in the property market hit a...
04 January 2020
From: Features

There are reasons to be optimistic that a majority government will improve the housing market, simply by ending political and economic...
21 December 2019
From: Features

A former residential chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has posed key questions for the government to answer over...
20 December 2019
From: Breaking News

Yes, believe it or not, we’ve nearly reached the end of a whole decade. And what an eventful decade it’s been. We’ve...
14 December 2019
From: Features

With Brexit still unresolved, the domestic agenda has been pushed from the headlines by the seemingly overwhelming public and political discord...
07 December 2019
From: Features

[Estate Agent Today was ‘off air’ for some of Wednesday and most of Thursday thanks to technical problems - we apologise...
06 December 2019
From: Breaking News

In just over two weeks, the UK population will head to the polls for the fourth general election since 2010. Of course,...
27 November 2019
From: Features

It’s on - although judging by the early lack of enthusiasm amongst the British public, you might be forgiven for thinking...
01 November 2019
From: Breaking News

It has been said time and time again that the uncertainty around Brexit is causing, well, uncertainty. As I write this, the...
26 October 2019
From: Features

Young homebuyers want tech-savvy, astute and attentive estate agents who are able to handle their complex requirements via a range of...
23 October 2019
From: Breaking News

Zoopla has unveiled new functionality that it claims will make searching for new homes easier for consumers - and resumes the...
21 October 2019
From: Breaking News

A report by the influential Public Accounts committee of MPs has been highly sceptical of the effectiveness of Help To Buy. It...
18 September 2019
From: Breaking News

The new housing minister has admitted that her party has tried to “put a lid” on house price rises and has...
17 September 2019
From: Breaking News

If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...
14 September 2019
From: Features

Who knows how long any housing minister will last, especially with a General Election widely expected in the coming months. So Esther...
12 September 2019
From: Breaking News

It’s been six years since the Help to Buy scheme was launched, with the honourable intentions of helping more people onto...
07 September 2019
From: Features

It’s been quite a week for news so you might have missed this story - there is yet another boost for...
31 August 2019
From: Features

There has been a sceptical response by agents and others in the property industry to the government’s latest headline-grabbing tweaks to...
29 August 2019
From: Breaking News

The Housing Secretary says he wants to make home ownership more affordable for first time buyers - which could mean discounts...
28 August 2019
From: Breaking News

New research has identified those local housing market potentially worst hit by the planned changes to Help To Buy in 2021,...
02 August 2019
From: Breaking News

We now have a new Leader of the Conservative Party and, rather more importantly, a new Prime Minister. That individual is Boris...
27 July 2019
From: Features

Theresa May arrived in Downing Street some three years ago - but her premiership has not been a smooth ride. As she...
06 July 2019
From: Features

With this summer marking forty years since Margaret Thatcher came to power, her legacy continues to invoke both celebration and consternation...
06 July 2019
From: Features

The National Audit Office says many users of Help To Buy would have been able to purchase a home anyway, without...
13 June 2019
From: Breaking News

South west regional agency Luscombe Maye has amended an advertisement for a new housing development following a complaint to a watchdog. A...
12 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Demand for shared ownership properties will rise by over 15,000 units a year when Help To Buy comes to an end...
06 June 2019
From: Breaking News

1989 was a significant time for the property industry: it marked the beginning of the end of a period of unprecedented...
04 May 2019
From: Features

In recent weeks our campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold has continued to gather momentum both in the press and across...
02 May 2019
From: Breaking News

Data produced by the government showed that some 211,000 homes have been bought using the Help to Buy: Equity Loan. The scheme...
01 May 2019
From: Breaking News

First time buyers purchasing new homes using the government’s Help to Buy equity loan scheme paid on average 12 per cent...
11 April 2019
From: Breaking News

Estate agents have responded cynically to the small-fry property sector announcements made by Chancellor Phillip Hammond in yesterday’s spring statement mini-Budget. Overshadowed...
14 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Figures released this morning show a surge in first time buyers securing mortgages in recent months, despite the market showing continued signs...
12 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The row over whether Help To Buy benefits house builders’ personal wealth more than it assists the housing market is continuing...
27 February 2019
From: Breaking News

After several days of gloomy market news, here's something more optimistic - there were 370,000 new first time buyer mortgages completed in...
20 February 2019
From: Breaking News

Property consultancy JLL has launched a specialised Help to Buy team in response to what it calls “the increasing demand for...
18 February 2019
From: Breaking News

I often speak of my wish to see property taken out of the hands of politicians. Indeed, this is likely to...
19 January 2019
From: Features

While even agents of the calibre of Savills struggle in today’s market - see the agency’s figures here - it’s a...
17 January 2019
From: Breaking News

One of Britain’s foremost property consultancies has given a relatively upbeat prediction for the UK housing market over the next five...
15 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Developers have continued to sell thousands of new-build houses with leaseholds, despite a government pledge to ban the “unscrupulous” practice a...
24 December 2018
From: Breaking News

An end-of-year analysis from the National Association of Estate Agents shows the state of the industry - and it confirms just...
04 December 2018
From: Breaking News

Figures released by the government over the weekend show that 14,867 Help To Buy equity loans were taken out in the...
03 December 2018
From: Breaking News

A property comparison website has made a defence of the controversial Help To Buy initiative, claiming it “acts as an important...
15 November 2018
From: Breaking News

Shocking figures from the Local Data Company, a consultancy monitoring the health of High Streets, show that 211 estate agency offices...
12 November 2018
From: Breaking News

Rather like doctors, estate agents are present at critical points in our lives – moving in together, bidding farewell to a...
07 November 2018
From: Features

On the face of it, this year’s Budget was not what you could describe as ‘housing heavy’ in terms of the...
03 November 2018
From: Features

Savills has issued its forecast for the housing market for the next five years, and while it highlights some bright spots...
02 November 2018
From: Breaking News

The agency industry has reacted in a broadly downbeat way at the relatively few housing-related proposals that were announced in yesterday’s...
30 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Stamp duty relief for first time buyers of full-priced houses and apartments is to be extended to first time buyers of...
29 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Perhaps it’s been our pre-occupation with Brexit, or on the other hand maybe we’re bored with politics, but this year’s Budget...
27 October 2018
From: Features

Is Help To Buy going to remain in existence for much longer? Question marks over the scheme’s future are being raised through...
16 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Those of you who receive (and read) my Sunday PropTech Review will know that, by far and away, the most shared...
19 September 2018
From: Breaking News

Speculation is growing that the Help to Buy scheme is set to be discontinued following a review by government ministers. Recent research...
03 September 2018
From: Breaking News
30 August 2018
From: Breaking News

A downbeat report from property investment specialist London Central Portfolio says “there are very few causes for optimism in the domestic...
29 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Some 31 per cent of first time buyers residing in London ended up moving away from the capital to purchase a...
28 August 2018
From: Breaking News

More than 420,000 people have now used the government’s Help to Buy schemes to get themselves on to the housing ladder...
17 August 2018
From: Breaking News

If agents want to get into what looks like a guaranteed growth sector, retirement properties might just be the one if...
04 July 2018
From: Breaking News

The government says its funding schemes such as Help To Buy will no longer be applied to what it calls “unjustified...
03 July 2018
From: Breaking News
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To say this is a turbulent time for UK politics would be something of an understatement. As I write, the Brexit...
23 June 2018
From: Features

Consumer body Which? is warning that those who used the Help To Buy equity loan to purchase their homes could face...
18 May 2018
From: Breaking News

A service that tracks different types of mortgage demand reveals that remortgaging is on the rise while borrowing for new purchases...
16 May 2018
From: Breaking News

Given the level of resource and energy being put behind upping the number of first-time buyers in the UK, you might...
28 April 2018
From: Features

Figures from the Treasury suggest that the annual revenue from stamp duty for the year to the end of March is...
27 April 2018
From: Breaking News

The proportion of first time buyers in the market is still 11 per cent below the level seen before the 2008...
11 April 2018
From: Breaking News

Barclays is next week launching a so-called ‘green mortgage’ which links the loan to the Energy Performance Certificate rating of the...
06 April 2018
From: Breaking News

A partner at Carter Jonas says that the next 12 months could see stagnation in the market and as a result...
26 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Last week’s news that the lettings fee ban is unlikely to materialise before next spring was perhaps to be expected. Ever since...
20 January 2018
From: Features

New analysis by credit and comparison service Totally Money has revealed the districts where the controversial Help To Buy initiative is...
15 January 2018
From: Breaking News

The business editor of right-wing political weekly The Spectator has made an attempt to defend the controversial £109m bonus paid to...
08 January 2018
From: Breaking News

The housing industry has set out a list of demands in advance of the government’s hotly anticipated Autumn Budget on Wednesday. Despite...
18 November 2017
From: Features

Savills has given a pessimistic outlook for the mainstream housing market for the next five years. It says average house prices across...
03 November 2017
From: Breaking News

The residential research associate director of Cushman & Wakefield says there is now evidence that the Help to Buy equity loan...
26 October 2017
From: Breaking News

With the Budget just over a month away, the steady stream of ‘leaks’ continues to grow as journalists and the industry...
21 October 2017
From: Features

And so concludes another party conference season. We’ve followed the great and the good (both terms are debatable) around Torbay, Bournemouth,...
07 October 2017
From: Features

The Conservative party, in a press statement released to clarify comments made by Theresa May, says the government’s proposed extra £2...
05 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Figures in the property industry have sharply criticised the announcement made at the Conservative party conference to pump an estimated £10...
02 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Online petitions appear to be the flavour of the week - the latest is calling for the government’s Help to Buy...
28 September 2017
From: Breaking News

An online platform has been launched with the aim of allowing first time buyers to seek crowdfunding to raise enough cash...
21 September 2017
From: Breaking News

It appears activity in the housing market in 2017 will be around 15% down on 2016. The number of housing transactions...
16 September 2017
From: Features

Even so close to the event, I don’t think anyone will be deeming 2017 as the ‘summer of love’. The summer of...
16 September 2017
From: Features

The government has poured cold water over industry speculation that Help To Buy could be phased out or significantly modified between...
09 August 2017
From: Breaking News

The government is thought to be reviewing Help To Buy which, it is claimed, could end with the scheme being scrapped...
07 August 2017
From: Breaking News

A housebuilder has changed the price listed on Rightmove to the full marketing price after an intervention by the Advertising Standards...
02 August 2017
From: Breaking News

There has been general support from the industry for the government’s apparent intention to ban new homes in England being sold...
26 July 2017
From: Breaking News

Government schemes like Help To Buy, supposedly assisting more people get on the ladder, have little impact on improving social mobility...
04 July 2017
From: Breaking News

New research suggests the Bank of Mum and Dad is now helping so-called ‘second steppers’ - existing owners moving up the...
26 June 2017
From: Breaking News

Figures released by the government suggest that over 285,000 people, including 240,000 first time buyers, have used one or more of...
23 June 2017
From: Breaking News

Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on June 8 took many by surprise. But estate agents have been broadly...
03 June 2017
From: Features

First time buyers who were supposed to be helped by the high-profile Help To Buy ISA have in fact found it...
24 May 2017
From: Breaking News

The Liberal Democrats have set a building target of 300,000 new homes a year, have pledged to scrap housing association Right...
18 May 2017
From: Breaking News

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint made against Connells. The case focused on a Connells Rightmove listing which...
17 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Cash is becoming an increasingly large proportion of the funding used to buy homes according to a new analysis of transactions...
11 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Savills is warning that while low interest rates will probably keep house prices relatively static, transaction volumes are likely to remain...
11 April 2017
From: Breaking News

Now I’m not one to lose sleep over politicians, but it strikes me that Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Housing Minister...
07 January 2017
From: Features

House prices will stall in 2017 and there won’t by any significant improvement in affordability for many hard-pressed buyers - but...
07 December 2016
From: Breaking News

Moneyfacts, the independent financial products monitoring service, says first time buyer have a lot to thank Help To Buy for -...
06 December 2016
From: Breaking News

In case you missed it yesterday, here’s a summary of everything relating to property that was in Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s Autumn...
24 November 2016
From: Breaking News

The huge consequences of the EU referendum, and the impending Brexit negotiations, have drawn into sharp light the consequences for a...
22 October 2016
From: Features

Speculation was rife over the weekend that the government would today announce major changes to housing policy - possibly shifting the...
03 October 2016
From: Breaking News

Fears raised over the UK housing market in the wake of the Brexit vote have so far proved to be ‘wide...
30 September 2016
From: Features

The government says its latest release of figures from its various Help to Buy schemes show that over 185,000 people have...
30 September 2016
From: Breaking News

With the number of new homes being built across the UK still significantly below the level needed to meet demand, housebuilders...
16 September 2016
From: Features

The credit crunch may have been the economic backdrop against which much of the housing market performance of the past 10...
06 September 2016
From: Breaking News

More criticism has come of the government’s multi-faceted Help To Buy initiative, this time from campaigning housing charity Shelter. The charity claims...
01 September 2016
From: Breaking News

An influential backbench Conservative MP is the latest to speak out, urging the government to resolve the growing argument over the...
24 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The number of 95 per cent loan to value mortgages available for first time buyers has dwindled 16 per cent in...
24 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Association of Estate Agents has waded into the row created by the revelation that the government’s Help To Buy...
23 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The Daily Telegraph appears to have exposed the government’s much-vaunted Buy To Let ISA scheme - billed as helping first time...
22 August 2016
From: Breaking News

Wales has confirmed that it is to scrap the former flagship Thatcherite policy of Right To Buy. Since 1980, 138,423 homes have been...
09 August 2016
From: Breaking News

A housing body says that, rather than presiding over a worsening housing crisis as many suggest, David Cameron has actually left...
02 August 2016
From: Breaking News

I’m indebted to one of the most enthusiastic estate agents I’ve had the pleasure of meeting for suggesting the subject of...
15 July 2016
From: Features

What a month it has been. By the time you read this, we'll have a new Prime Minister, a new Cabinet,...
15 July 2016
From: Features

As I sit and write this piece, even with the FTSE 100 back up and sterling having recovered some of its...
08 July 2016
From: Features

No fewer than 555,000 would-be first time purchasers have opened Help To Buy Individual Savings Accounts - HTB Isas - since...
01 July 2016
From: Breaking News

So what is it with young people failing to stand up for themselves and not making the most of their money...
20 May 2016
From: Features

Connells Survey and Valuation says the total number of valuations conducted in March showed a 21 per cent increase over the...
12 April 2016
From: Breaking News

Government figures claim almost 50,000 households in council and other forms of social housing have taken up their Right To Buy...
29 March 2016
From: Breaking News

Property has long been a safe investment. Before the downturn in 2008, sellers were able to gain a healthy capital return. Post-economic...
25 March 2016
From: Features

When it comes to Budgets and Property, you have to hope that the old adage that ‘things happen in threes’ turns...
12 March 2016
From: Features

As we know, the property market in London is notorious for sitting a long way outside the conventions of the wider UK...
27 February 2016
From: Features

A detailed analysis by Hometrack reveals that new-build transactions - running at roughly 10 per cent of all house sales for...
24 February 2016
From: Breaking News

The government claims 43 per cent of new homes built since the introduction of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme...
16 February 2016
From: Breaking News

In January readers of Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today were given the opportunity to give their views on proposed...
25 January 2016
From: Features

The director of two major agencies says George Osborne’s stamp duty surcharge and stock at an “historically low level” will force...
10 December 2015
From: Breaking News

Estate agency Keller Williams has set up a specialist team to help military personnel with mortgages and property investment. "The needs of...
09 December 2015
From: Breaking News

There’s been shock and anger from agents - especially those in London - at the surprise news of an additional three...
26 November 2015
From: Breaking News

- From April 2016 buy to let landlords and people buying second or holiday homes will have to pay an additional...
26 November 2015
From: Breaking News

George Osborne has announced a shock additional 3.0 per cent stamp duty on second homes and buy to let properties. Details are...
25 November 2015
From: Breaking News

It is anticipated that the government will reveal more details of how it proposes to simplify mortgage fees and make mortgage...
25 November 2015
From: Breaking News

Property journalists, and more than a few estate agents, are beginning their annual autumn ritual – forecasting what’s going to happen...
16 October 2015
From: Features

An estate agency analyst has queried whether the £2 billion spent on the equity loan Help To Buy scheme in England...
30 September 2015
From: Breaking News

Campaigning charity Shelter claims the government's flagship housing incentive, Help To Buy, has added £8,250 to the price of a home...
22 September 2015
From: Breaking News

So housing made itself top of the list of questions by the new Leader of the Opposition’s first PMQs on Wednesday...
18 September 2015
From: Features

Help to Buy’s equity loan and mortgage guarantee schemes have helped nearly 120,000 people buy a home, according to government figures. Since...
14 September 2015
From: Breaking News

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced a series of measures impacting on the property industry, including: Mortgage interest relief for buy-to-let homebuyers...
08 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The government says it will publish an action plan this week to explain how it is going to implement some of...
06 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The Financial Times says London Mayor and new Conservative MP Boris Johnson is lobbying the government in a bid to persuade...
02 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The majority of agents do not see the supply and demand of homes levelling out over the next five years, according...
05 June 2015
From: Breaking News

The true impact of the election on the housing market has been revealed as the latest government figures on house transactions...
22 May 2015
From: Breaking News

The new chair of trade body Homes for Scotland wants the Scottish Government to ‘evolve’ its Help to Buy shared equity...
19 May 2015
From: Breaking News

Margaret Thatcher may have given the country Right To Buy and David Cameron has created Help To Buy but when it...