In the Mortgage Introducer article “Post-Budget pause or pressure point? Brokers weigh in on a stalled housing market”, Michelle, founder of IMS Property Group, offered a grounded and timely perspective on the UK property market’s response to recent fiscal policy.
Michelle highlighted that while market activity has softened in recent weeks, this pull-back is driven more by affordability pressures than by the Budget itself. She observed that buyers are recalibrating their expectations in a higher-rate environment, pausing until there is clearer direction on mortgage costs and broader economic stability.
Michelle was also clear that the Budget represented a missed opportunity to boost housing confidence. She pointed to the lack of targeted support for first-time buyers, measures to increase supply, and a longer-term strategy for the private rented sector as factors that, if addressed, could have helped reinvigorate market activity.
Her view underscores a consistent theme in her work: certainty and strategic policy are critical to unlocking market momentum. Michelle’s insight not only reflects current market sentiment but also emphasises what policymakers and industry stakeholders need to focus on to support a more resilient housing market.
