The Scottish Budget arrived with plenty of anticipation and very little imagination. Ultimately, it was a political exercise rather than an economic one with little to write home about in relation to the housing market.

The much trailed mansion tax, not unlike its Westminster cousin, remains frustratingly light on detail. Questions around how new council tax bands might be set, how values would be assessed, and how fairness would be ensured have been left unanswered. Uncertainty rarely helps confidence, and in this case it feels entirely avoidable.

Support for first time buyers was another clear disappointment. For all the rhetoric around opportunity and aspiration, there remains a reluctance to properly address the barriers faced by young people trying to get onto the housing ladder. We can celebrate the strength of the market, and we do, but we are not naive enough to ignore the challenges it creates, particularly for those buying their first home. Grass roots support is badly needed and this was another missed opportunity.

As I discussed following the UK Budget, a full review of LBTT feels increasingly important. It is a tax that affects behaviour, confidence and mobility, particularly in the middle of the market. Independent fiscal experts always direct policy to focus on tax take and not tax rate. With transactional volumes halved in the last two decades, tax policy seems to be more politically motivated rather than focusing on liberating economic potential.

The impact of more voluminous transactions could manifest a significant flywheel effect on the entire economy, the country’s GDP and effectively boost tax over a much broader spectrum of business rather than solely that of the property industry. A little imagination here could make a meaningful difference, but that would require political will to support the middle classes, something that currently feels close to heresy at both Holyrood and Westminster.

All of that said, it would be a mistake to let a dreary Budget detract from what is an undeniably strong property market.

The year finished on a high and the opening weeks of January have been nothing short of extraordinary. Buyer demand has burst out of the gate, and the appetite to purchase has been remarkable. In the first two working weeks of the year alone, we have brought seventy seven homes to the market across the areas we operate in, and almost all have been met with immediate and enthusiastic interest.

In Giffnock, we welcomed sixty eight viewers through a sandstone semi. In Jordanhill, more than seventy buyers have been competing for a property on the doorstep of one of Scotland’s most sought after schools. In Bearsden, a bungalow attracted seventy eight interested parties. And in Newlands, my colleague Alastair in our Shawlands office is preparing to launch a best in class semi detached villa, with early indications suggesting a result that could set a new benchmark.

These are not isolated examples. They are symptomatic of a market that remains undersupplied and highly motivated. Buyers are decisive, competition is intense, and well prepared sellers are being rewarded for committing early.

For all the political noise, the fundamentals remain strong. Demand is deep. Confidence is high. And for those willing to act, the opportunities are very real. 2026 has all the hallmarks of a vintage year, and credit is due to the sellers who have chosen to go early.

The rewards are most certainly there to be reaped.