Target Group comments on property transaction figures

28 March 2025

Melanie Spencer, sales and growth lead at Target Group, said:

“It is really positive to see transactions continue to outperform this time last year as buyers respond to more favourable interest rates, although the month-on-month stats perhaps show a more stable ‘steady as we go’ picture.

“It’s important to note that with transaction times as they are, these buyers would have said yes perhaps a couple of months prior to January – meaning they may not yet reflect the rush to beat the stamp duty threshold change. We’ve heard from the likes of Propertymark, who have reported an uplift in the sales market among its members in January, which was driven mainly by the stamp duty rise. As we reach this threshold change next week and the cost to buy increases, it will be interesting to see what impact this has on future activity – especially as inflation looks set increase over the coming months.

“It’s another example of why it is so important we push ahead with efforts to digitalise the mortgage and wider homebuying process to drive efficiencies and better experiences for buyers and all parties involved in the process. Lenders play a key role in this, making sure they have the right partners, tech and integrations to support product innovation, faster decision-making and efficiencies in the wider mortgage process.”