Some Buyers Willing To Pay More To Secure Their Move

Published: 08/02/2021

While the stamp duty holiday has encouraged many people to move home, the backlog has been depressing for many people in the property market.

So much so that some buyers have said they would be willing to pay the stamp duty fee if they could skip the queue in buying property!

We know that buyers in Bromley have benefitted from the stamp duty holiday. We also know some buyers in Bromley will miss out if there is no extension to the stamp duty holiday deadline.

Close to 50% of the 3,717 respondents said they are willing to pay the duty if it would let them skip the queue and conclude their property deal.

Many prospective buyers have their say on the housing market

68% of respondents whose deal has been delayed say it has added to the stress they feel. Given the present circumstances must be highly stressful for many people already, you worry about what some people are going through right now with respect to property moves.

34% of respondents say they have made alternative living arrangements because of the property backlog.

24% of respondents say their transaction has already collapsed because of the backlog, and 35% of respondents say they have increased their offer to make sure the seller doesn’t pull out of the deal.

There are people willing to plough on regardless though. 69% of respondents say they expect or hope to conclude their deal before the end of March, and they will carry on as normal.

14% of respondents say they will purchase a more affordable property if it can be concluded in time, and 9% say they will purchase a more expensive property.

The same study also asked what would happen if people missed the deadline, and they received the following responses:

  • 39% of respondents said they would cancel their property purchase
  • 27% said they would borrow money to pay for the stamp duty fee
Matthew Cooper, Founder & Managing Director of Yes Homebuyers, commented: “As with most poorly thought-out government rescue plans, the stamp duty holiday has done an outstanding job of fuelling demand, while completely neglecting how the market will actually deal with such an uplift. Although the idea of a stamp duty saving would have been a tantalizing one, many buyers are now finding themselves stuck in market limbo, facing more stress, long delays, temporary living arrangements, or having to place a higher offer. All for a few thousand saved in tax.”

Matthew concluded by saying; “Even worse, the market backlog has been enough to cause purchases to fall through with more potentially having to pull out if they do miss the deadline.”

If you are looking to make a move in the Bromley property market, and you would like to speak with local experts, please get in touch. If you would like to arrange a property valuation, contact us and we will set this up for you. You can phone your BR Estate Agent on 020 3633 8620 from 9am till 9pm seven days a week or visit our website www.br-estateagent.co.uk for more information.