This compares with 6% of brokers who believe it will not have an impact, while 37% think that the tax concession is the least of a first-time buyer’s worries.
David Sheppard, managing director of Perception Finance, said: “We are already getting enquiries from people saying they need to find a property quickly so they can get in before the 24 March tax deadline. If the withdrawal of Stamp Duty relief wasn’t going to have an impact, then people would not be having those conversations with us.
“How long that impact lasts after the Stamp Duty relief disappears is not likely to be very long, because people will just accept the fact that it is no longer there and they will need to have that addition saved.”
Sheppard said that parts of the UK will be more affected than others, including London and the South East where house prices are more expensive, and added that the biggest issue remains funding the deposit and educating consumers on how much they need to save.
He said: “When the mainstream press talk about the average deposit needed, that does not help because it averages everything in terms of all the rates out there. Anybody who does not keep up to date with the mortgage market is likely to be misled and disgruntled by what they read.
“More education is needed from all parties to make people aware that the market has improved from where it was and, as such, people should look to see what their options are.”
