Lancashire Housebuilder Reveals Latest Househunter Figures

Miller Homes, the award-winning housebuilder that is currently operating in a number of different areas across Lancashire, has revealed a spike in local house hunters looking online for a new home in 2021. Figures show that in late December, traffic to the website increased by 35% compared to the previous weeks 4 week average.

The rise on online searches has in part been put down to the Government’s decision to offer house hunters a temporary Stamp Duty holiday until 31 March 2021, meaning that the rate of Stamp Duty has been cut to zero per cent for all properties £500,000 or under. Since the stamp duty holiday was introduced in July 2020 transactions increased by more than 8% when compared to seasonally adjusted data for the previous year.

Clare Noakes, Sales Director for Miller Homes in the North West, comments: “This time of year is typically popular with people wanting to make a fresh start in a new home, however following the challenges of last year and the Government’s incentive scheme in place it seems that the drive for a new home is now bigger than ever.”

Miller Homes is bringing a number of new homes to Lancashire including at Millrose in Blackburn, The Landings in Chorley, Beacon Park in Catterall and Montague Place in Clitheroe. They have consistently contributed to the local community including recently announcing almost £900,000 will be pumped into the Ribble Valley.

With 2021 underway many families are keen for a fresh start however are facing financial challenges after Christmas spending from the festive break. So to further support buyers in the region, Miller Homes has extended the Stamp Duty holiday on selected plots until the end of June 2021.

Other financial schemes available to help buyers include: Help To Buy which allows potential first time buyers looking to buy a new home in the North West of England up to £224,400. The Government-backed Help to Buy scheme is designed to help buyers with just a 5% deposit apply for an additional 20% equity loan from the Government, meaning that they only need to secure up to a 75% mortgage from a bank or building society.