[1]Andy Sommerville, director of Search Acumen [2], comments on HMRC number of property transactions, January 2016:
“Although residential transactions have experienced a slight dip in January 2016 from December, the number of transactions are still notably higher than the same time last year, an indication that while the market may be jittery due to global uncertainty in the short term, we’re in a much better position than in January 2015.
“This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t brace ourselves for a buy to let surge before April though and the full picture of the government’s intervention into buy to let is likely to reveal itself at the end of the first quarter.
“While lack of affordability and housing supply remain a key issue, this month-on-month dip should be seen in the wider context of uncertainty around Brexit and turbulent stock markets at the beginning of the year.”