Record profits for Countrywide but ‘sluggish’ market on the cards for 2015

'Challenging environment' to push transaction levels even lower in 2017, as London exchanges slump by 29% compared to last Q3

Britain's biggest estate agency Countrywide has reported an "encouraging" Q4, despite the general slowdown in transaction volumes and uncertainty around buy-to-let stamp duty and mortgage interest relief.

Countrywide has reported an 11% yearly fall in pre-tax profits in the nine months to September, after the anticipated post-election recovery in transaction volumes "failed to materialise in any significant…