The government has rejected calls to introduce a permanent stamp duty holiday for property purchasers. In a document published on 26th May, it said that the tax, which raised £8.4bn for the public purse in 2019-20, was an important source of revenue at a time when it needed to replaceContinue Reading
Websites like Zoopla are keen to let you think that you can somehow compute the value of a home. I beg to differ. I know that there is a wall of money desparate to commoditise housing seeking a way to calculate the value of a property but if there wereContinue Reading
In the week running up to the first May Bank Holiday we’ve been busy exchanging contracts on two properties in London and completing on a third. It took just ten working days to exchange contracts on the house in Barnes having ensured our client was prepared and had the bestContinue Reading
As Melissa Lawford points out in The Telegraph today there are signs that some buyers are starting to put rural relocations on hold as lockdown eases, while newly-vaccinated downsizers enter the market, boosting supply. Rightmove reckons that supply of available property is at a record low – I think we’reContinue Reading
The latest guidance from the Government confirms that you are free to move home. However, you may find the process of searching for and moving into a new home is different, as property agents, conveyancers and other professionals have modified how they work to reduce the risk from COVID-19. InitialContinue Reading
I invite all clients to leave feedback on the services I offer, good or bad. These days not only do people expect to be able to but potential clients often read the reviews before deciding if they want help. If you want to see what people think of my £100Continue Reading
My comments on the radio earlier on what’s happened, what is happening and what might happen to the housing market during the Pandemic.Continue Reading
Like most people my old firm has been wrong-footed by the Pandemic and more importantly the extraordinary support that the Government has shown towards the housing sector. Last week’s budget saw an extension the the Stamp Duty holiday and a new (or should I say renewed) version of Help toContinue Reading
The stamp duty holiday on house purchases has been extended for a further three months, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget. The property purchase tax has been suspended on the first £500,000 of all sales in England and Northern Ireland since 8th July last year. The tax break forContinue Reading
If you’re struggling to find a home don’t panic. Rightmove calculates that they are showing 20% fewer properties. More will come once the vaccine gives older owners confidence to allow strangers around their homes. Many of those who would have sold in Q1 this year will join the usual supplyContinue Reading
My old friend Phil Spencer was kind enough to ask me to join him in Lockdown 3 and to look at the year ahead for his clever MoveIQ business. Together we agree (about how important it is that buyers get more support), disagree (about the Stamp Duty holiday) and shootContinue Reading
