Latest figures v Mr Shapps

The figures today from Chartered Surveyors have shown the mortgage take up for November 2009, has outstripped the figures for November 2007. While giving caution for these figures, the hope is the market is more stable and less speculative, and that the peaks and troughs of previous years is less evident.

The conclusions then are that

The HIP has had no detrimental effect on the housing market and it is clear that it has been an assistance in the early recovery.

The up-front information contained in the HIP is converting the sale of properties early and with less ‘fall through’ of transactions, exactly as it is supposed to.

The market is not over subscribed with phantom or over speculative vendors but contains properties which are for sale at a market price and with more information available than ever before for would be purchasers.

The challenge to Mr Shapps must now be to have a proper debate about the HIP and not just to play silly electioneering games which threaten the good work and livelihoods of the people working in the industry.

We have to insist that he has got this wrong, the argument he uses are now shown to be flawed and the tories must replace the man with a more experienced shadow housing spokesman, he has clearly lost the argument and most probably the plot.

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HRG would like to thank Brian Dodd for the above contribution