12
Dec
HIPs do not deter buyers, says expert
A property expert has stated that home information packs (HIPS) do
not have any bearing on people's decision on whether to buy a home
or not.
Dismissing the idea that HIPs have a significant influence on buyer
decisions, director of property portal Mousprice Selwyn Lim said it
was "very clear" that the packs were not affecting the decisions
people make.
He stated: "If you're buying a £200,000 house, whether or not
it has double glazing fully installed or not is a very small
consideration compared to the overall magnitude of the cost
involved."
Mr Lim also suggested there would be little impact on property
developers caused by the new climate change bill, stating that
compliance would be included in the building cost, which in turn
would be considered as one part of the greater analysis of the cost
of building and potential revenue gained from the sale of the
resultant developments.
Changes to HIPS were announced by housing minister Margaret Beckett
last week, including making the packs available as soon as a house
comes on the market and providing extra information about issues
such as structural damage and flood risk.
