Mortgage availability provides property boost

The perceived increase in the availability of mortgage finance has led to cautious optimism in the property market. Access to a mortgage was viewed as a barrier to buying by 49% of people, compared with 55% back in June and 58% in March. But a lack of job security remains the most significant barrier to a property purchase and was chosen by 58%. This could be a critical influence on the confidence of house buyers with unemployment forecast to rise into 2010. Respondents expect property prices to rise by 1.6% over the next year. Paul Broadhead, head of mortgage policy at the BSA, sa...