Nick Leeming, Chairman of Jackson-Stops, comments on today’s HMRC property transaction statistics: “Today's figures show that whilst the effects of the SDLT holiday are being slowly edged out of national reporting, we are still seeing buyers acting with intent and being driven by lifestyle aspirations as opposed to financial saving.

 
"As with previous years, we expect that early January will see an uptick in activity, and certainly our branches are always asked to value many homes in the early new year as sellers look to take advantage of the new outlook. Whilst low stock is likely to continue to drive the housing market in the first months of 2022, we anticipate that the upward movement in inflationary pressures will do little to dampen transaction volumes, and that these will remain stable heading in to the new year. While wider uncertainty surrounding the new variant is a risk, many buyers and sellers are now used to transacting in this new normal and agents have been able to implement a variety of finely tuned processes to protect all parties involved.

"These complex and ongoing changes to the nation’s working patterns and lifestyle aspirations are continuing to fuel housing market needs and even more so as we enter 2022. House hunters are still looking for properties which are more flexible, spacious and rural than where they lived pre-pandemic, with nearly a third (30%) of Jackson-Stops branches reporting an increase in buyers requesting homes with easy access to open countryside with scenic walking routes. Should we return to a period of more restricted pandemic living, this will only heighten the determination of buyers seeking a better way of life."