Recently, a report from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors indicated a gradual increase in buyer interest across the UK for the month of November. This is a positive sign and certainly accords with the Blackadder’s property team statistics which show the number of properties coming on to the market remaining fairly static compared to last year, but a marked increase in activity in relation to offers since the middle of October. I will give a detailed prediction for 2013 soon but I do think this is a positive sign. I am of the view that while there are potential hurdles during the course of 2013, this increase in property market activity will now continue. My two bugbears are in relation to first-time buyers and the apparent lack of support for them and also the question of stagnation – “I am not putting my house on the market until I see a property I want to buy!” More on this later.
Lindsay Darroch Partner & Head of Property