Twindig Housing Market Index (HMI) - 15 Jan 21

Travelling and arriving

The Twindig Housing Market Index fell by 1.2% to 89.3 this week, falling in the face of good news from both housebuilders and estate agents. Housebuilders reported record order books and record levels of cash in their Balance Sheets and national estate agency firm LSL plc reported that its estate agency pipeline at 31 December 2020 was 65% ahead of where it was a year earlier.

We were surprised therefore that investor confidence moderated a little in the face of such good news. It could just be a case of travelling and arriving, good news was expected good news was delivered but the COVID elephant is still in the room. We are not out of the woods yet.

There are minor concerns about the impact of the ending of the Stamp Duty Holiday and the perception of what it will mean to the man or woman with their face mask on, sitting alone, on the Clapham omnibus.

The facts are that for most, especially those travelling by bus rather than by limousine, the lost savings will be limited. However, many don't want to spoil a good story with facts and data. For those who do, there is our analysis of who pays what when it comes to Stamp Duty