Richard Pike, sales and marketing director at Phoebus Software:

“This retrospective view of the first quarter of 2021 throws up no real surprises, however it is interesting to note that first-time-buyer numbers were outpaced by home movers across the country in Q1.  This perhaps shows the effect that the stamp duty holiday was having, encouraging a different sector of the market to take advantage, when first-time buyers already had the benefit of SDLT holiday.  It also shows the movement across the regions as quality of living became a priority during the pandemic.

“With the government’s ‘First Homes scheme’ launching, along with the availability of 95% mortgages and the new help-to-buy scheme, we could see the current imbalance between first-time-buyers and home movers levelled.  As long as the new homes that are needed for these schemes continue to be built.”