Nearly eight in 10 property professionals back home buying reforms, CSS finds
Almost eight in 10 property professionals were confident that proposed reforms to the home buying and selling process will deliver positive change, according to polling conducted by Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS).
The poll, carried out during a CSS webinar on reforming the home buying process, found that 77% of respondents were optimistic about the impact of the changes. Of these, 18% said they were very confident and 59% somewhat confident.
By comparison, 21% said they were not very confident about the reforms, while 2% believed the changes would never happen.
The findings were discussed during a webinar entitled Is upfront property information the reform that the homebuying process has been waiting for?, which examined the role of upfront property information and the practical steps required to improve the home buying process.
Participants were also asked whether the appointment of Prime Minister Andy Burnham made positive change in the UK housing market more likely. More than a third (36%) said it did, while 16% said it made change less likely. Almost half (48%) said the appointment would make no difference.
More than 300 property professionals, including surveyors, brokers and lenders, attended the webinar.
Industry, not regulation, must lead later life lending change
Sponsored by Suffolk Building Society Intermediaries
Commenting on the poll results, Matthew Cumber, managing director of CSS, said there appeared to be broad agreement across the sector that the home buying process could be improved, but that the focus should now be on how reforms are implemented.
“Upfront property information, including condition reports are a good example. Simply moving existing checks or documents to an earlier point in the process will only get us so far. The greater opportunity lies in making sure useful information is available early enough, in a format that can be shared and relied upon by the different parties involved, rather than repeatedly requested as a transaction progresses,” he said.
Cumber added that meaningful reform would require greater collaboration between lenders, surveyors, conveyancers, estate agents, brokers and technology providers, with the aim of reducing delays and improving transparency for buyers.
