Dither ye not
Posted on 13 August 2008 by
News today is that the chancellor's recents statements on stamp duty have caused house hunters to delay putting in offers on properties, according to estate agents.
The National Association of Estate Agents has revealed that 62% of estate agents have revelead their customers have expressed concerns about going ahead, with 25% saying sales have fallen through in the last few days.
These statistics only back up the old adage that poeple just cannot cope with uncertainty. This type of will he/won't he sentiment from Alistair Darling is wholly unhelpful and just piles mroe pressure on an already wobbly market.
Of course, we have ben abnging the drum for stamp duty reform for some time now, and our petition has nearly 15,000 names to date. It is unrealistic to think that stamp duty will be abolished, but at least a restructure to relfect a fairer way of calculating it must make sense. Have a look at http://www.charcol.co.uk/stamp-duty-petition/.
For now, the chancellor must make a firm decision either way or risk damaging the market much further.
Categories: Interest rates, House Prices, Stamp Duty, Media, Estate Agents
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