Property news: First-time buyers make the most of the stamp duty holiday

Property transactions at 18-month high as stamp duty holiday ends
Property transactions are at their highest level for 18 months as first-time buyers seek to complete home purchases before the stamp duty holiday expires at the end of March.

The latest snapshot of the residential property market from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors showed estate agents expecting stronger activity to translate into higher prices later this year. Read more on this story

House sales and lending pick up
The UK property market is seeing a modest pick-up in activity, latest figures indicate.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said house prices across the UK rose on average by 0.7% in January, to leave them just 0.2% up on a year ago. Read more on this story

Buying beats renting in most of Britain
Buying is cheaper than renting in 42 out of 50 of Britain’s top towns, according to Zoopla.co.uk.

The gap has narrowed slightly since the property website’s last survey three months ago, when buying was cheaper than renting in 47 out of 50 towns. Read more on this story