Plea over property
THERE are calls for restrictions to be eased to get the housing market back on track.
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson says he has been contacted by land agents and estate agents who have said that viewing of properties could be visited safely in line with social distancing guidelines.
Mr Carson claims that the advice laid out by the SNP Government in their roadmap out of lockdown "will only undermine the market when it re-opens."
He wants greater clarity for surveyors and estate agents as currently the guidelines in Phase One mean that they can prepare for the safe re-opening of the housing market'.
However, estate agents cannot visit homes to carry out photographic work and surveyors cannot inspect or value properties prior to a sale, meaning that the current plans to re-open the market in Phase 2 will not be able to be carried out efficiently, he says.
Mr Carson said: It is inevitable that there would be a closure of the housing market as we were in lockdown, but as we ease out of restriction measures, then land agents and estate agents are calling for urgent clarity.
I have been contacted by many of those working in the industry who are furious at the SNP Government's lack of clarity on the re-opening of the housing market.
It is clear that with protective equipment and social distancing carried out, then homes could be viewed in preparation for sales, but that is continuing to be delayed by the SNP's current route map.
We need to allow our housing market to re-open in an efficient manner to allow it to bounce back after recent months of inactivity.
The route map continues to raise more questions than answers and the SNP must outline exactly what measures surveyors and estate agents can and cannot do right now, in order to allow them to plan for the days and weeks ahead.
Allan Paterson of Threave Rural added: We are coming under ever-increasing pressure from both sellers and buyers keen to progress sales.
We have a large number of varied properties which are ready to market in a normal year we would have been listing two or three a week at this time of year.
The longer the property market stays shut in Scotland the more that potential buyers will look to other areas of the UK for property."
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Published: 08 Jun 2020, 14:38