Housing Market to suffer with interest rate rise, Brexit looming and more… ?

“Inflation has been creeping up and The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has increased interest rates to 0.5% to compensate, despite the annual growth rate being at its weakest for four years.

A 0.25% rise is not going to have a significant impact on the economy as a whole, but it will further depress a falling property market, particularly in prime central London. Currently, the market is flat.  As an example, there are two blocks of apartments near our Regent’s Park office that are historically very sought-after and if a property came available we would be swamped with buyers and a sale would be made very quickly.  In one of those blocks, in the same month in 2016 there were three apartments on the market and they all sold. This year, there are ten apartments currently available but there are no buyers for them.  In the other block, a very similar situation, there was one property on the market in 2016 and in 2017 there are ten that are not selling.

There are two main reasons for this. The first is that they are overpriced. Vendors still believe that values are what they were two years ago. I called the top of the market just over a couple of years ago and it has been drifting down ever since, with a bit more yet to go.  With so many tax changes (increased stamp duty, an extra tax for buy-to-let investors and foreign investors’ tax) and Brexit looming, there is too much uncertainty and buyers, particularly overseas investors, have been put off making big financial commitments.

The government is being urged to abolish stamp duty ahead of the budget. Undoubtedly, this would be the best thing to happen to the property market. London is the driving force for every market and scrapping this tax would provide buyers with an incentive to start moving again.”

Andrew Ellinas, Director, Sandfords

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

How Local Market Trends Affect Your Home’s Selling Price

Introduction When planning to sell your home, understanding local market trends is crucial. Whether you’re working with estate agents in Selby or estate agents in Leeds, these professionals emphasize the importance of market dynamics on your home’s selling price. Local factors such as supply and demand, interest rates, and economic conditions influence property values. These…
Read More
Breaking News

The biggest Halloween rent hikes

Revealed – Where tenants have been haunted by the biggest Halloween rent hikes The latest market analysis from London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed which areas of the rental market are haunting tenants this Halloween, having seen the largest increase in the average monthly cost of renting since this time last…
Read More
Breaking News

The UK’s anti-social behaviour hotspots revealed as Halloween looms

As Halloween looms, the latest research by over-50s property specialist, Regency Living, has revealed the nation’s most anti-social postcodes, based on the proportion of crime related to anti-social behaviour (ASB), with Ealing, Fylde, Westminster, West Lancashire and Chorley topping the table. Halloween may be a time for good-natured spooky fun, but for some, the fright…
Read More
Home and Living

77% of homeowners against Halloween

The latest research from eXp UK has revealed that while Halloween may be growing in popularity across the UK, many homeowners are planning to use smart home technology to avoid the endless stream of trick-or-treaters knocking at their doors this Friday. The survey of UK homeowners, commissioned by eXp UK, found that more than three…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

What Leaseholder Reform Really Means for Managing Agents

By Robert Poole, Director – Block Management, Glide Property Management, part of LRG The past decade has seen a growing focus on leaseholder rights, and in the last few years, that focus has intensified into full-scale reform. With the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 now enacted and further measures under consultation, managing agents are…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals bounce back in September

The property industry’s reaction to the latest mortgage approval data from the Bank of England. The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for September sat at 65,944 up (+1.5%) from 64,963 in August. Approvals are up slightly (+0.5%) when compared to the 65,628 seen in September 2024. This increase shows stability…
Read More