The market seems to be in the process of absorbing new information on the likely prospects for price growth over the next few years. It appears that a consensus is developing that price growth will be a much less in the coming years than we have witnessed previously. Banks and agents are anticipating that prices will now appreciate in line with incomes, a soft landing. However is this what the market wants? Does the market want low single digit price growth? Would investors be happy to accept historically low yields, yields below self financing levels? Without the compensation of capital growth?. Will first time buyers be in such a hurry to buy, if they see that prices are static relative to their incomes?
If prices are static will new buyers be able to tap notional equity growth in the value of their property to finance lifestyle and/or further property purchases? What will happen to the building industry when the demand for new houses wanes? Will Eastern Europeans find employment outside the building sector if a slowdown causes layoffs? Will they decamp and return home or move on to the next boom nation?
Can a soft landing ( a state of effective stasis) be possible after a speculative bubble in asset prices where the supply of that asset is plentiful? Where the cost of buying the asset increases, when the values does not?
If prices are static will new buyers be able to tap notional equity growth in the value of their property to finance lifestyle and/or further property purchases? What will happen to the building industry when the demand for new houses wanes? Will Eastern Europeans find employment outside the building sector if a slowdown causes layoffs? Will they decamp and return home or move on to the next boom nation?
Can a soft landing ( a state of effective stasis) be possible after a speculative bubble in asset prices where the supply of that asset is plentiful? Where the cost of buying the asset increases, when the values does not?