Is it a stamp duty holiday?......
- stamp duty is the tax you pay when purchasing a house

In early September, Gordon Brown announced that the stamp duty threshold would be changed for a year to encourage first time buyers to purchase homes:  The £600 million measure was introduced to get more buyers at the bottom end of the housing market - likely to be first-time purchasers - out of the stamp duty bracket altogether, saving them up to £1,750.

Here at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents we have not really noticed that this has encouraged first time buyers back into the market mainly because mortgage companies are insisting on larger deposits before lending - but what has happened is that many properties which were marketed at figures close to £175,000 such as £180,000/£190,000 or £200,000 have found that they are having to consider offers around the £175,000 figure as purchasers try to save paying the 1% stamp duty.

Properties are definitely very well priced in this current market and if you are able to find a good mortgage then it is an excellent time to buy.  We have an excellent team of mortgage advisors ready to visit you or chat to you anytime to help find an affordable product for you.

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