The number of prospective buyers increased by 29 per cent from October, from 451 to 580, making it the highest number recorded since August 2004.
With September, October and now November all reporting unprecedented figures, it shows the effect the Stamp Duty, Land Transaction Tax and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax holidays have had on the UK housing market, encouraging an influx of prospective buyers to attempt moving home before the 31 March 2021 deadline.
Record demand, record sales
The average number of sales agreed per estate agent branch increased to 13 from 12 in October, making it the highest figure on record since November 2002, which also stood at 13.
Year-on-year for the month of November, the average number of sales per branch has increased by a staggering 86 per cent, a sign of how unusual this amount of activity is for this time of year when traditionally the market slows down over the festive period.
First-timers and prices
The number of sales made to FTBs stood at 24 per cent in November, rising from 21 per cent in October. However, this is a slight reduction from 2019 where there were 28 per cent of sales made to FTBs.
In November, 10 per cent of properties sold for more than the original asking price, a slight rise from October, when seven per cent of properties sold for above the original asking price.
The pressure of completing a house purchase ahead of the stamp duty, LTT and LBTT holiday deadlines means we have seen an extremely high number of potential buyers flood the market in November, in the hope of finding their dream home.We remain very concerned about the impact of the Stamp Duty, LTT and LBTT cliff edges on 31 March, with nearly three in five (56 per cent) estate agents expecting to see an increase in failed sales next year due to buyers realising their sale will not complete ahead of the deadline.
