Did you see the Bank of England’s figures released recently about lending in January ‘10?

According to data compliled from all the banks and mortgage providers, only 48,198 mortgages were approved in January, a figure which is 17% lower than the 58,223 in December. Experts reckon it’s down to the cold weather and the decrease in the Government stamp duty threshold from £175,000 back down to £125,000. But the good news (if you can call it that) is that the number of home loans approved is 43% higher than in January ‘09.

As far as quick house sale opportunities go, researchers Global Insight believe 70,000 to 80,000 mortgage approvals a month can be classed as a market with ’stable house prices’, so don’t hold your breath.