This is according to the latest results from NatWest Intermediary Solutions’ Mortgage Intermediary Market Confidence Barometer.
The Barometer measured confidence across six market components: demand for remortgaging; potential for house prices to rise; sufficient funding from lenders across all LTVs; adequate supply of properties in the local area; first-time buyer affordability; and homeowners having sufficient equity in their existing properties to move.
Increases in confidence were recorded against all six of the market components measured.
‘Sufficient funding from lenders across all LTVs’ saw the greatest increase and achieved its highest ever index score reflecting the abundance of mortgage deals currently on the market from lenders.
But perhaps the most interesting result is that confidence about ‘first-time buyer affordability’ has risen since last July, despite some commentators casting doubt on this.
Remortgaging seems to be viewed in a similarly optimistic vein. Brokers’ confidence in ‘Demand for remortgaging’ achieved the highest score so far in the index.
Unsurprisingly, having witnessed an increase in house prices in many parts of the UK in the past nine months, confidence in the ‘Potential for house prices to rise’ has seen the smallest increase.
Graham Felstead, head of NatWest Intermediary Solutions, said: “It appears that the feel-good factor is definitely back in the market.
“The past 12 months have continued to remain buoyant despite the introduction of the MMR requirements and this is reflected by the fact that confidence in all the market components that we measure in this index have seen an increase.
“It is particularly interesting to see the marked improvement in the optimism for first-time buyer affordability and the demand for remortgaging.
“The improvement in perceptions about first-time buyer affordability shows that brokers and their customers have acclimatised to the post-MMR environment and that the continuation of Government schemes and lenders support at the higher LTV end of the market has restored confidence.
“From our own experience, 2015 has so far carried on where 2014 left off with very high levels of intermediary mortgages being written.”
