I have found figures which show a collapse in housing sales across the Harlow and Epping Forest districts. This comes as new Government red tape will push up the cost of moving home in the middle of a recession.
Parliamentary Questions have revealed that across the country the number of housing sales in 2008 halved compared to 2006 levels. The latest national figures so far for 2009 show even sharper falls have happened this year. In Harlow there were 924 housing sales in 2008, compared to 1,929 in 2006 a fall of 52 per cent. In the neighbouring Epping Forest district - which includes the Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering which forms part of the Harlow parliamentary constituency.
There were 1,410 housing sales in 2008 compared to 3,230 in 2006 - a fall of 56 per cent.Yet new Whitehall rules will make it even harder for home buyers and sellers. The Governments Land Registry is hiking fees in July to register a new home or to buy an official property search.
Ironically, the Land Registry are blaming the recession for forcing them to put up prices as housing transactions have fallen so much, cutting their income. The increases in the costs of official searches will in turn increase the cost of the already expensive Home Information Packs (HIPs). This comes as new HIP rules came into effect in April which will further hinder sellers from putting their homes onto the market.
That is why, I am glad that Conservatives are calling on Government Ministers to use their emergency powers to suspend HIPs immediately, and then abolish them. They are also calling for the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers to be raised to 250,000, taking nine out of ten first-time buyers out of stamp duty altogether, giving an important boost to housing market.
The new figures expose how Gordon Browns recession has sent the Harlow and Epping Forest housing market into freefall. It is incredibly short-sighted for Labour Ministers to increase red tape on the housing market in the middle of a recession and make it even worse. We need action to revive the market, by reducing moving costs for home owners and giving extra help to help first-time buyers get onto the housing ladder.
There were 1,410 housing sales in 2008 compared to 3,230 in 2006 - a fall of 56 per cent.Yet new Whitehall rules will make it even harder for home buyers and sellers. The Governments Land Registry is hiking fees in July to register a new home or to buy an official property search.
Ironically, the Land Registry are blaming the recession for forcing them to put up prices as housing transactions have fallen so much, cutting their income. The increases in the costs of official searches will in turn increase the cost of the already expensive Home Information Packs (HIPs). This comes as new HIP rules came into effect in April which will further hinder sellers from putting their homes onto the market.
That is why, I am glad that Conservatives are calling on Government Ministers to use their emergency powers to suspend HIPs immediately, and then abolish them. They are also calling for the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers to be raised to 250,000, taking nine out of ten first-time buyers out of stamp duty altogether, giving an important boost to housing market.
The new figures expose how Gordon Browns recession has sent the Harlow and Epping Forest housing market into freefall. It is incredibly short-sighted for Labour Ministers to increase red tape on the housing market in the middle of a recession and make it even worse. We need action to revive the market, by reducing moving costs for home owners and giving extra help to help first-time buyers get onto the housing ladder.
By Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com
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