Bill: "the result of which has been £1m of equity since '92"

So how is that 800k of equity looking now? And are you planning to spend your 700k of equity this year, or are you waiting to blow all 500k of it next year?

Robert S. McNamara, Washington, US

Dear House Price conspirators, you are talking to yourselves now, no one else is listening! Some of us think longer term, the result of which has been £1m of equity since '92. Work harder and learn how markets work, or keep renting fellas.

Bill, London, UK

The actions of greedy BTL "investors" over the last few years have created this havoc in the housing market.Council Tax should be restructured so that an individuals 2nd property has 200% council tax charge ,3rd property 300% and so on.

Colin, Stockton, England

If prices for a starter home fall below £125k then stamp duty won't be a problem anyway. The answer is prices falling to sensible levels as they are out of touch with reality. If it takes approx 2 years of man-hours to build a property then surely they should cost just above 2 years salary.

Dave, London, UK

Maybe stamp duty should be abolished for home owners and doubled for the 'investors' who have wreaked so much misery on first time buyers.
Maybe interest relief on mortgages for BTL locusts should also be abolished - an income generator and vote winner I'm sure.

Gareth Jones, Dusseldorf, Germany

Why meddle with the stamp duty?
Let market find its level. There is no god given right to buy a property. Encouraging this madness has landed us in these problems.
Why should the tax payers subside the first time buyers?

Yaz, London, UK

Apart from the allieteration what exactly is the difference between the "Credit Crunch" and the "Credit Squeezes" which we used to have? It appears that the consequences are the same.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

Last night Newsnight reported that house prices continued to fall after Lamont introduced the last stamp price holiday in ~ 91. So he withdrew it, only for house prices to continue to fall.

Your desparation amuses me.

Robert, Hull,

Anne Ashworth,
Still trying to convince readers to buy to suit your vested interests?
The excuse this time: the investors will beat you novices to it AGAIN...
Damn those guys are so smart!
But you can get in there with them, if you start buying as soon as stamp duty is supended...
Give us a break.

JB, Seef, Bahrain

Houses are overpriced, Stamp Duty fiddling won't alter this basic fact

cap, London, UK

Property journalists should recognise banks think houses are overvalued. For transactions to increase, everyone needs to lower their price by 25%. Banks would be willing to lend, people would save on interest payments and stamp duty and estate agents would keep their jobs. Think of it as a SALE.

Rob H, London,

um, investors? really?

Any 'economics' article (which admittedly this isn't anyway) shouldn't use the words canny or savvy, esp as 'canny and savvy' people tend to do the opposite of what columns like this suggest. they most certainly do not enter a capital depreciating market with pitiiful yields

ryan, huddersfield, west yorkshire