Election Countdown
Well, just 40 more days to go and we should know which party or coalition of parties will be in government. This week we had our first televised “debate” between the two Davids, Cameron and Milliband, it didn’t really tell us much except that the polls immediately following gave Cameron the edge, then the next day we hear from the media that Labour and Conservative are neck and neck in the polls.
In fact the other parties appeared to be out of the limelight this last week, there was a bit of witch hunt early in the week attacking practically all parties with the media concentrating on any negatives within each party. All that was rather short lived, the voters want substance not what is the next smear, we need to know the policies and for most of our readers what policies will affect our industry.
We have seen in the last five years of a Conservative/Lib-Dem government an increase in the activity within the sales and letting market, especially in London where we have seen a swing from a buyers market at the beggining of the government’s term of office to a sellers market now. This can come with a downside as house prices appear to be pushing towards new highs in the south east of England locking out new time and second time buyers, infact the only way for many to have a roof over their heads is to rent, and some comentators point to the fact that many will never own their own house, this in turn has caused a bouyant Buy-to-Let market, with some predicting an increase in activity in this market with changes in pensioners annuity rules.
Many will be studying the policies of each party and will be working out on balance what effects them the most when it comes to the time to vote, so in the debates we need to know where we are heading in the next 5 years, we need clear policy details, the sales and lettings industry wants stability, not sweeping changes that will cause a reversal of fortunes for those that have geared themselves to the market as we have at present,
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