The research found that 40% of brokers believe a lack of housing supply is the biggest challenge facing the new build sector, an area of the housing market has struggled throughout the pandemic, with shortages in material and labour putting the Government’s target of building 300,000 new homes a year into serious jeopardy.
As well as limited housing supply, 22% of brokers believe that a lack of high Loan-to-Value lending is the biggest challenge they face when helping clients looking to buy a new home. A further 15% think that the limited availability of appropriate criteria from lenders is the greatest concern.
However, recent positive movement from lenders has been seen, especially within the high LTV space, providing affordable low-deposit mortgages for prospective buyers. This includes the Deposit Unlock scheme, which is expected to attract more lenders during 2022.
The research also suggests that 62% of enquiries brokers receive come from first-time buyers. With the Help to Buy scheme coming to an end in March 2023 and many developers forward-selling as far as 12 months, there is some concern that without a suitable replacement, first-time buyers will struggle to get onto the housing ladder. Despite this, 80% of brokers think that the end of the Help to Buy scheme will actually have little to moderate impact on their business and customers.
Craig Hall, Director, New Homes Financial Services at LSL Property Services comments: “COVID-19 has caused disruption to the new build sector since 2020, but it’s positive to see that brokers are feeling more upbeat about this area of the market in 2022. Despite this, there are clearly still challenges facing the new build market, with the limited supply of new homes coming to market remaining a critical concern for brokers.
“The year ahead also promises to be one of significant change for the new build sector, particularly as we edge closer to the end of Help to Buy. With many developers forward selling their properties, it is likely that we will see a post-Help to Buy market come into fruition from Q2 2022. As a result, we may well see growing importance placed on Shared Ownership for homebuyers, while the Government’s expanded First Home Scheme may also begin to play an important role. Indeed, we hope to see further lender innovation along with the emergence of new private schemes over the coming months to ensure that first-time buyers and others in the new build sector continue to get the support they need.”
“For those looking to get on the housing ladder, exploring the full range of product options available is essential in order to find the right fit – and the best way to do this is to seek advice from a professional independent mortgage adviser.”
