Now that the country has voted in the historic 2010 General Election, what can we look forward to from our new government? As the MP’s decide who will do what and with whom and for how long and why, we can only speculate at this moment in time as to what will the effect be on us as individuals. What can a homeowner expect to see affected?
The Conservatives promised to: “Help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder, by increasing the stamp duty threshold for them to £250,000, so that nine out of ten first-time buyers will pay no stamp duty.”
This will mean more new homeowners with the opportunity to improve and enhance their homes with new garage conversions and conservatories. They also promise to reintroduce their Right-to-Buy scheme, as seen in the 1980’s, which offers the opportunity for families to get on the housing ladder.
Labour has done well in many areas where housing was a major issue, and held seats threatened by those standing on a single issue of housing. They also intended to suspend stamp duty on properties bought by first time buyers on sales up to £250,000. Similar to the Conservatives, they both seem to agree that giving better opportunities to first time buyers is an important thing, which should leave some extra cash to improve things such as insulation and roofline products. These will be important what with scorching summers, freezing winters and looming ash clouds with which to contend.
The Lib-Dems interestingly backed a proposal by the Energy Saving Trust for the government to underwrite what they are calling ‘green loans,’ in which householders would apply for commercial loans to revamp their homes, with the cost being repaid through energy bills which should fall because of improved energy efficiency of the renovated house. With this policy in place, many people who would otherwise be unable to make home improvements could now make these alterations to their windows or conservatories.
Be it a helping hand to get on the first rung of the ladder or a little push towards improving what you have already, it seems that whatever your political allegiance, all the parties have something in their back pocket which will help homeowners to make a difference to the value of their home and their quality of lives.
