First-time buyer sector given boost

The first-time buyer proportion of the housing market has hit a 10-month high due to a "last-minute rush" of people trying to beat a stamp duty deadline, estate agents have said.

Some 24% of house sales were made to first-time buyers last month, as a two-year stamp duty concession for properties worth between £125,000 and £250,000 came to an end, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) said in its monthly housing report.