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

for sale sign london
Breaking News

More sellers looking to enter the property market

The latest research from eXp UK has revealed that an increasing number of home sellers are entering the UK market, as demonstrated by recent growth in online search interest for terms such as ‘estate agent’ and ‘best estate agent’. Previous research from eXp UK recently found that sellers started reentering the market in the opening…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Non-standard home insurance cover and how to get it right

Leading insurer provides the low-down on non-standard home insurance cover and how to get it right Most home insurance policies in the UK are designed for ‘standard’ homes, but not every home is considered standard. Whether the property is built with timber frames, has a flat roof or is a listed building, it may fall…
Read More
Breaking News

Should you change mortgage lender?

The latest research from award-winning mortgage adviser, Alexander Hall, has revealed that more than half of homeowners approaching the end of a fixed-rate mortgage are currently undecided on their future with their mortgage lender, despite notable improvements across the mortgage market over the last 12 months. The consumer insight, commissioned by Alexander Hall, surveyed 1,035…
Read More
Breaking News

Property chains cost movers £2,000 in unexpected costs

Property ‘chain reactions’ add over £2k to moving costs on average Nearly half of home buyers who have been in property chains say they experienced delays or transaction breakdown because of related issues Problems with chains have led three in 10 to put off future moves, while one in seven say they’d only consider a…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental demand remains resilient in 2026

The latest research from Benham and Reeves has found that around a quarter of all rental homes currently listed across Britain have already secured a tenant, highlighting continued underlying demand despite ongoing regulatory uncertainty. Benham and Reeves analysed current rental market listings to highlight current rental demand, the size of rental properties currently most in-demand…
Read More
Breaking News

Buy-to-let lending growth matches FTBs and homemovers

The latest market analysis from Alexander Hall has revealed that buy-to-let mortgage lending has grown at an average quarterly rate of 7% over the last year, matching the pace of growth seen across both first-time buyer and home movers, as improving mortgage market conditions continue to support borrowing demand for rental properties. Alexander Hall analysed…
Read More