| "You used to be able to buy a flat, let it without worrying much about rent levels, and rely on capital appreciation. But those days have long gone." | |
| Richard Donnell, Hometrack | January 2008 |
| "The speed at which lenders are tightening their criteria and raising prices is frightening. Once it becomes impossible for most people to get a mortgage without a 10 per cent deposit, the first-time buyer market will freeze up, which will have a dangerous impact on the whole housing market and the wider economy." | |
| Ray Boulger, John Charcol Mortgage Brokers | March 2008 |
| "The UK is coming out of the longest period of economic growth ever seen, but is not about to face a recession or a house price crash." | |
| David Smith, Sunday Times Economics Editor | April 2008 |
| "[That people are in danger of facing widespread negative equity and home repossession] is colourful and lurid fiction." | |
| Angela Eagle, Exchequer secretary to the Treasury | April 2008 |
| "It is as if the clock has gone back 15 years, when everyone needed a deposit of at least 10 per cent to get a home loan." | |
| Andrew Montlake, Cobalt Capital Mortgage Brokers | April 2008 |
| "Without concern for price there is a shortage of Rolls-Royces. What matters is not what quantity or quality of housing people airily say they want or need but rather what they are able and willing to pay for." | |
| Roger Bootle, Capital Economics | April 2008 |
| "Don't touch property with a bargepole for two or three years. Prices are likely to fall by 30-40% over a four-year period nationally." | |
| Jonathan Davis, Armstrong Davis Ltd | April 2008 |
| "The market is battling with the credit crunch, which has undoubtedly had an effect on confidence. However, the key factors that underpin the housing market still exist - low unemployment, historically low interest rates and a pent-up demand for houses. " | |
| Peter Bolton King, NAEA | April 2008 |
| "It is high time the British realised a people cannot become rich by selling ever more expensive houses to one another." | |
| Martin Wolf | April 2008 |
| "Anybody who thinks it is a duty of the state to help keep housing expensive is crazy." | |
| Martin Wolf | April 2008 |
External Sites