It is a Cliff

It is a Cliff

A fortnight before Christmas and there are more cliff-hangers than reindeers on Santa’s sledge, let us go through the seasonal pre-Xmas list.

Countrywide PLC – a tug of love between Connells, a proven model of profitability and other factions that ‘have a plan’ but have not had their mettle tested. In truth needing the backing of 75% of the shareholders, this sideshow is likely to run well into 2021.

Brexit … yes, this is also by definition a cliff-hanger, as a likely fudge in injury time is the typical outcome the British public expect, will Boris disappoint?

Portal watch, will Boomin dominate in 2021, does Rightmove feel the hot breathe of ZPG who has increased their market share of new branches, during the pandemic season, or will out of the ranks of the property portal/platform insurgents – a new saviour for the industry gain traction?

Will ‘The Property Franchise Group’ take ownership of Hunters, and if so, who will it most benefit?

As Covid-19 hit Airbnb took a beating, now it is has announced a 30BN valuation ahead of its imminent IPO, do the money men have it right or could lack of freedom to move around the globe/country affect its forward trading model?

The SDLT holiday, will it end in March, or will the band play on and Rishi will extend the good times being enjoyed by those who actually have some inventory to sell?

New CEO Tim Balcon, what shape will he fashion Propertymark into, and will the government become more of a regulating hand than ever before?

How will the government, courts and the PRS sector deal with the backlog of tenancy disputes?

The recent unfortunate redundancies at RICS, is this a sign of the times with digital replacing some of the human element or is it a more fundamental re-structuring?

What master plan has the new CEO Jason Tebb of On the Market got up his sleeve?

But perhaps the biggest cliff hanger is when or if the housing market will run out of steam, judging by the sold boards in my local village and the lack of inventory coming to market – there seems little sign of this at present.

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Home and Living

Home longevity spas tipped to become the next must-have in prime property

Longevity expert has noticed a huge influx in home spas from investors Country and Townhouse reported that wellness is expected in luxury homes Ralph Montague discusses core shifts he’s seen over the past two years Once, cinema rooms, wine cellars and home gyms were considered luxury home features. Now, the next major trend in prime…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index for April 2026 – Thoughts from the Industry

House prices increased by 0.4% between March 2026 and April 2026. This was a weaker rate of monthly growth compared to the previous month (0.9%). Annual growth sat at 3% in April 2026, with this annual rate of growth increasing from 2.2% versus March 2026. The average UK house price now stands at £278,889.  …
Read More
Breaking News

House price growth remained resilient in April

UK annual house price growth picked up to 3.0% in April, from 2.2% in March House prices were up 0.4% month on month Headlines Apr-26 Mar-26 Monthly Index* 554.8 552.7 Monthly Change* 0.4% 0.9% Annual Change 3.0% 2.2% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £278,880 £277,186 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are…
Read More
Breaking News

Homeowners shift mortgage strategy amid economic uncertainty

Middle East conflict prompts Brits to rethink housing plans 27 per cent of homeowners report overpaying on their mortgage to get ahead of potential future interest rate rises 20 per cent of those remortgaging are looking to lock in a new rate as soon as possible in case of future volatility Barclays Mortgage data shows…
Read More
Breaking News

Today is the day your rights change: New Renters’ Rights rules now in force for tenants across England

Today marks a major change for tenants across England as the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 comes into force, significantly strengthening rights and changing how renting works in practice. From today, the long-standing system of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions ends, meaning tenants can no longer be removed without a specific legal reason.…
Read More
Home and Living

Mould Tops List of Bathroom Red Flags For Homebuyers

Mould, Space & Water Pressure: 3 Bathroom Deal-breakers Affecting House Sales This Spring   Almost 9 in 10 (88%) Brits say at least one bathroom issue would put them off making an offer on a house.   Mould (60%), lack of space (44%), and water pressure (37%) are the top three deal-breakers, with concern intensifying…
Read More