A majority of people working in the property industry – nearly two-thirds – believe that leaving the EU would have a positive impact on the UK housing market.
Some 65% of agents and mortgage brokers are for Brexit.
The finding – by conveyancing giant My Home Move – is in stark contrast to warnings that the housing market will collapse if Britain votes to leave.
Ratings agency Fitch yesterday warned that house prices could crash by 25%.
The International Monetary Fund has also warned that property prices would go into reverse.
However, the My Home Move survey strongly suggests that agents will vote to leave the European Union.
The same survey does however say that the home moving public is much less decided with 53% unsure as to which way to vote.
These are among the findings ahead of My Home Move’s annual conference tomorrow.
The survey also found that most people working in the property industry (90%) believe that a lack of stock and high prices have become the new normal.
Interestingly, the 250 people polled preferred support for downsizers over help for first-time buyers.
A total of 61% wanted greater government help for downsizers, while just 21% wanted support for first-time buyers.
My Home Move chief executive Doug Crawford said: “The market has been suffering from a lack of stock and high house prices for several years, so we’re not surprised that those at the sharp end of the sector are frustrated by what has become the ‘new norm’.
“Recent Government changes to Stamp Duty, alongside schemes like Help to Buy, have kept the market going since the recession, but the findings from our survey would suggest that those closest to the market are seeking even more intervention to shake things up.
“Nearly two-thirds of the estate agents and brokers surveyed believe leaving the EU would be positive for the housing market; and 85% of home movers are seeking greater Government assistance for those trying to move up and down the housing ladder.
“However, despite the recent policy move to tax additional home buyers, as a way of encouraging more first-time buyers on to the market, there remains a level of scepticism that home ownership levels will rise above the current level by 2025, suggesting that without intervention market conditions would worsen and Generation Rent would become an even greater reality for many more people.”
We really need to see some incentives for builders to build bungalows. We currently have several clients in large 4+ bed family homes that want to downsize to a 2/3 bed bungalow that just cannot find anything – some have been looking for well over 12/18 moths. It’s stalling the market as they wont sell and there homes are in prime spots in catchments for good schools.
and no I’m not talking about building retirement apartments with exorbitant service charges and no outside space. I’m talking freehold bungalows.
Build us some of these and things would start to move immediately and the market would free up.
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And I suppose they want these bungalows in the town centre so the twirley’s don’t have far to walk !
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Whilst I agree with the general sentiment, this survey seems to be remarkably thin on REASONS why those polled feel this way. The great British public in survey after survey is crying out for FACTS behind the Stay and Leave campaigns rather than biased views. WHY does the majority of those polled think it would be better to leave the EU and exactly HOW will this have a positive impact on the UK housing market?? Unfortunately this article doesn’t address this. I too want to leave but I need strong arguments to convince those around me. Rosalind, please !!
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With the IMF, the Bank of England and just about every economist you hear from saying that leaving the EU would probably throw us back in to a recession, why then would 65% of agents want us to leave? Its fine to be patriotic but the fact is that leaving the EU, where by the way it often gets ignored that we actually are very influential, is nothing more than a rose tinted visit to the roulette table.
Cycles of recession seem to come around every 10 years, there shouldn’t be an agent in the country that would want to be dealing with the aftermath of leaving the EU in two years time.
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“With IMF……”
I think there is now 4 groups in this debate:
1) Out – Have made their mind up that leaving the EU is the right thing for the country and won’t be swayed
2) In – Have also made their minds up and won’t be swayed
3) Undecided
4) Out – had enough of project fear and the lies and bullying and want out.
in truth no one can make an accurate prediction it’s pure guesswork from all sides. But the 65% is probably about right and in line with the feeling of the popular as opposed to the rigged opinion polls.
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I’m sorry Paul I don’t agree. What we know is what we have right now, what we don’t know is what will happen if we leave. You can argue it any way you like but leaving is a gamble plain and simple.
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Leaving is indeed a gamble as is staying. But most people can see past project fear and the establishment stitch up, what I find bizarre is that every time the remain campaign do something such as wheel out Obama, spend £9.3m on propaganda leaflets or make fanciful made up claims (£4300 loss of income per household) the more it turns people off remain and towards Brexit – bizarre!
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You seem to imply that the remain campaign is running ‘project fear’ whilst the leave campaign isn’t.
From every statements I read, the leave campaign is running a ‘project fear’ as well, and a ‘ project believe in fairy tales’ on to of it.
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Pau,l how can you say staying is a gamble? We know exactly where we are now because we are already in the EU?? The argument is: are we better off leaving? There is only one “gamble” and leaving is the very definition of it.
You can go on about project fear but how about project realism. You have the Governor of the Bank of England telling us its a bad idea leaving the EU and yet somehow according to this pole, 65% of us seem to know better. Now that is bizarre! …. or just arrogantly naive, who knows.
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RealAgent, I agree with you. Leaving is a gamble, we might do better or we might do worse. Personally I would say we would have more control so will have more influence in our destiny so likely to do better rather than worse, but yes still a gamble.
Staying on the other hand is more of the same, so I would argue things will get worse. The EU is failing (Greece etc), corrupt (havn’t signed off their accounts in 20 years) undemocratic, not to mention an immigration issue that seems strangely quiet at the moment. So I agree we know exactly where we’re going.
I don’t see the economic outlook being good in or out, but at least out we’ll have more of a chance to decide our future and won’t be tied to the failing EU.
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For the UK being in The EU is a bit like being in an abusive relationship – you get trodden on, money taken, abused, unappreciated and bent over backwards plus your scared to leave as you are told you cant do it alone, the sky will fall in, you will never ever get someone a good as the EU, you will be poor, you will have no friends.
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You cant change an abusive relationship of 40+ years – you have to get some balls and leave.
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Not not sure comparing leaving the EU to domestic violence is appropriate or even accurate.
As for your context seenitall, in whose opinion are we trodden on, unappreciated or demonstrating the lack of balls you seem to think we are? Your opinion? So what about all of the monetary experts telling you it would be a disaster to leave are they just wrong? Do you know more than they do?
I would love to know what evidence you have for any of your views, here’s your chance to persuade me that leaving is anything more than “the grass is greener”.
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Google monetary experts and their advice on us joining the Euro. Wrong then, wrong now.
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The difference is though this time we are not looking at joining anything, we are already part of something. Its not perfect, but right now the economy probably doesn’t need uncertainty and no one can argue that leaving the EU doesn’t bring exactly that.
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Google Foxes and Hen houses, seems they are very keen to be let in.
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This has to be one of the most sensible comments made on this thread, put in a context we can all understand! 😉
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Well, that goes to show…
How could Brexit possibly be good for the property market?
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Leaving the EU?
I suppose we should ditch parliament and ask the next king of England to rule the lands, bring back serfdom, slavery and lets not forget capital punishment.
How about we bring back the old sterling currency £1:00 = 120 pennies. Sell houses in Guineas ?
Did your grandparents really go through two world wars so we have all the freedoms we enjoy to go back to the “good old ways” ?
We are not just part of Europe we are on a global stage we interact, live and trade with Europeans, Turks, Africans and even Americans.
Don’t think leaving Europe will change any of that, just make it a whole lot harder to do business, improve our quality of life and technology.
Leaving the EU is not a realistic option.
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Oh, good grief. If our grandparents “went through two world wars” for anything – not to mention many of the wars we have fought in the past, notably against the Spanish in the 16th century and the French in the , it was to protect the sovereignty of our democracy, our justice system and our way of life from external domination – NOT so that our laws and the will of our parliament could be over-ruled
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Oh, good grief! If our grandparents “went through two world wars” for anything – not to mention many of the wars earlier generations fought, notably against the Spanish in the 16th century and the French in the 18th and early 19th – it was to protect the sovereignty of our democracy, our justice system and our way of life from any foreign domination. It was most definitely NOT so that our laws and the will of our parliament could be regularly over-ruled by a combination of other European nations (pick any 14 out of 27) – still less by an unelected and unaccountable “Commission.” Yes, leaving is a gamble. So is stepping outside your front door. So is setting up a business. So is life. To those who suggest that the rest of the EU might turn nasty if we leave, I would say: do we really want to be members of a club that resorts to intimidation and threats of reprisals to keep its members in line? And to those who try to argue that it’s better to be in, so we can influence things, I would point out that being members since the 1970s hasn’t enabled us to stop the Common Market we joined morphing into the power-hungry EU super-state we have now. I just hope the above story doesn’t get picked up in the national press. If anything might swing the vote decisively in favour of staying, it could be the news that a majority of estate agents want us to leave!
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Isn’t a guinea £1.05? ( I once had to convert Guineas per quarter day into a pcm figure)
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No I think it’s 1 pound and one shilling (in old money a shilling is 12 pennies)
🙂
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But in 1971 didn’t they turn a shilling into 5p or is the suggestion that we go back to the L.S.D system too?
If £1.05 isn’t a metric Guinea, a tenant in the back end of Derbyshire has underpaid their rent by about £4.76 for the last 68 quarters.
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Just to point out, 65pc of 250 people is 162. 162 people will be voting to leave. It’s hardly an avalanche of votes and there will be plenty of agents voting the other way, not to mention the rest of the British electorate!
I would say this survey just goes to show how split and indecisive we are about the Brexit and, let’s face it, the property market will continue to be skewed and inflated independent of a Leave or Stay vote.
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Was the survey taken in Burnley?
Does Paul House start every other sentence with “I’m not a racist, but…”?
Can we check that all the 162 agents have liked Britain First on Facebook, just in case one of them is missing out?
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Have I just been called a racist?
You see it’s this type of bullying that turns people off and only drives people to want to vote Brexit.
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Of course not. I’m sure you have a black neighbour a Indian newsagent and love Chinese food.
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well…..
reading between the lines. Maybe you just live in a town with lots of K’s in it’s name.
Or maybe you don’t
I don’t know.
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A lot of the voting will depend on the age of the voter.
In the 1970s referendum we were told we were voting to join an ECONOMIC union. Not a POLITICAL union. I expect many will vote ‘Out’ simply because they are still angry at having been so grievously lied to by Ted Heath et al.
For those born after we joined the EU the status quo will be their choice as they have known nothing else and will not have a clue at just how much detrimental effect the EU has had upon our daily lives – nor how much its malign influence will increase as the years go on.
And yes, I am REALLY p*ssed off that I can’t buy creosote any more…
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If you are looking for a reason as to why I will be voting to leave it is simply this.
In 2015 it was forecast that we would make a “NET” contribution of £10 BILLION, what could the public services do with that money?
How many homes could be built with that money? If this government really is determined to ease the housing crisis and look after the citizens that voted them in, then stop wasting money to an organisation that can fund itself and stop all this scaremongering!
On top of the financial implications, the laws that only the UK appear to comply with with slowly be eradicated and before anyone jumps on me for this comment, I spent 30 years in the public sector and have seen 1st hand the effects of such laws, rule and regulations have had on the services in this country. We all moan and groan about them, but just sit and think why they are like this?
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That should read…
On top of the financial implications, the laws that only the UK appear to comply with WILL slowly be eradicated…
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I’m sorry pierce but its comments like this that go to the heart of the argument in my opinion. How do you feel qualified to say that it’s as simple as receiving £10 Billion back to spend as we wish? I know I’m not, so I’m mystified as to how you believe you are.
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How am I qualified?
As i said in my comment, I worked in the public sector for 30 years and the money available to the public services is slimmed down on a weekly basis. So not only have I got first hand experience of how budgets are cut beyond belief, I am also a tax payer and I believe I have the right to decide where this money goes.
You should watch the Brexit video that has been produced. yes it can be argued that it is biased but boy it opens your eyes to what actually happens.
To a degree you are right, I am not qualified with any political or financial qualification, but I have first hand experience of how things have changed – It’s interesting to note you have latched onto my comment about the 10 billion but absolutely no reference to the impact EU has had on the laws of this country. Which I do have a LOT of experience of so feel qualified by way of experience to comment.
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you are right, I am not qualified
OK. You should have just said that straight away then. You have an opinion – yours is no more valid because you were a dustman for 30 years.
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If you think it is acceptable to be so insulting then that dilutes any argument you may have, maybe you should know your audience before you start throwing those insults around.
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Your comment was stupid and you tried to present it as fact.
I called you out on it.
Get over and stop trying to convince people you’re an authority on the subject!
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I perhaps wouldn’t have been as harsh as Outsider but he is not wrong. Not everyone can or would want to be an economist or governor of the Bank of England but surely they are the only ones qualified to say what the result on our economy would be. They are telling you that leaving the EU would be a bad decision I think its sheer bl00dy mindless not to listen. I can sympathise with how things were in the public sector but blaming membership of the EU is doing what countless people throughout history have done which is blaming other people rather than facing up to the reality that we live in a society that wants everything but doesn’t want to pay for it.
As to your comment about about having a right to decide where the money goes. How exactly would that work, you have your say, I will say where I would spend it, 60 million other people would also have there say where they would spend it so how do we agree? Well you can have an election and vote for the party that represents most of your views and the one that most of the country votes for gets to decide for us.
For some of us that won’t be the party we voted for but we have to live by it because its called democracy. Its the same with the EU. Do I agree with everything it stands for, no I don’t. But I do accept that being part of a club that almost all of our political parties in the majority agree with, as well as all our experts in economics, banking, business and finance, agree is crucial we are part of, means I have to accept the club rules even if I don’t agree with all of them.
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All your points are valid ones RealAgent. For the record I voted for conservative in the last election as I believed they would be doing more good than harm. But now I think no party is landlord/agent friendly but at least the conservatives are so far resisting many of the calls and demands being made of them.
I am not saying that what I believe is right, I am simply putting my view forward based on experience and knowledge of the legal system but in true democratic style I’ll always take on board views of others.
I suppose you could say I was a dustman for 30 years but you’ll never know 😉
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Wow! Enough hot air to heat our office for a week!
“Two thirds of people working in the property industry believe that leaving the EU would have a positive effect on the housing market.” The property market thrives on stability and certainty. The only thing guaranteed is that there will be uncertainty if we leave the EU, therefore the housing market will suffer by definition. The only thing that might benefit it will be a plunging pound and rising inflation when we will be in a similar situation that we were in under Old Labour governments when the residential market performed well!
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Anyone seen a list of positive reasons for staying in? Anyone seen a list of positive reasons for leaving? That will be no and no.
Lots of horribly negative things said about what will happen if we leave and lots of horribly negative things said about what will happen if we stay.
They all seem to know the negative factors around doing either. So it follows they must know the positives as well.
Could we have some please? And “better the devil you know” doesn’t count as a positive factor
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We can freely trade with the largest single market in the world, we can influence the legislation of that single market, we can freely move around Europe, we can negotiate with other world powers as part of this powerful union instead of on our own, we attract foreign investment because we are an attractive location to establish business within the EU compared to many other members, etc.
The negative things which are said about what will happen if we leave come from the positive things above which we enjoy now but which we will lose.
How many we will lose is unclear though because no-one wants to tell us what ‘Brexit’ actually means, or perhaps they don’t even know themselves (especially on the leave campaign side when you listen to them).
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AgencyInsider hit one of those nails in the coffin “in the 1970s referendum we were told we were voting to join an ECONOMIC union. Not a POLITICAL union”.
For many sovereignty is priceless and will win votes to leave.
As to the racist stance …….. will win votes to leave.
As to all the other arguments … no-one has come up with a definitive Yes or No. All the arguments are right dependent on your upbringing, lifestyle and location and what a diverse nation we now are!
As to the lead story, I’m not surprised by the poll result and am having some difficulty in working out why the “in” say property prices would collapse.
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My take is that we need someone to audit and control our governance otherwise there are simply no controls. A country heavily influenced by stand alone economic well being will, like it or not, be run by the City and their chums.
With prices in London ,South East and much of commuter land transacting above trend a likely increase in interest rates will cause considerable hardship for mortgagors. A demand push on inflation will subsequently trigger a pressure on interest rates. Negative equity and interest rate rises will likely re-create the market we enjoyed from 1988-1994.
During his time as education secretary Michael Gove demonstrated his attitude to governance; ill considered, impractical policies were heaped on the education system and there was no convincing him to even consider he might have the capacity to be wrong let alone be wrong. The thought that he could form any part of a government that answers only to itself fills me with personal dread. Until his involvement I was very much ‘I’ll deal with the consequences of whatever the country decides’ Gove’s involvement is a master stroke for the inny’s
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There is a good argument to agree with you Robert however the situation is that some can find a counter argument and that is the silly situation we are finding ourselves in. Frankly many Joe Public hasn’t a clue which way to turn. Will they cover their eyes and find the place for the donkeys tail? Those that will not be directly effected could vote exit, as nothing to loose but indirectly they may or may not. No-one knows, so just like general elections it will probably fall to what I said above, for many.
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Those not affected probably won’t turn out and the result will come down to who has done the best job of orchestrating supporters.
The fact most Joe Public hasn’t a clue which way to turn is they can see no real issue with what we’ve got and the costs of what we’ve got, there’s nothing really broke so nothing much is going to get fixed.
What has surprised me; we’ve heard nothing from the campaign for curved cucumbers
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Last word.
Estate agents are the least qualified to have an opinion on Brexit.
Our work barely gives us an opinion on the next town or suburb down the way never mind other countries.
Our outlook is to the domestic market
We worry about on line agents taking our daily bread. Other high street agents getting the jump on our market position. How many sales in the pipeline. What tenant did what to which landlord.
We have opinions. Of course we do.
Just that they will in any event be ignored.
I say stay in Europe.
You say leave.
But dammn those chaps from down the High Street if they get a for sale board up before me !
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“But dammn those chaps from down the High Street if they get a for sale board up before me !” 😀 😀
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