The Home Builders Federation’s second quarterly SME Developer Sentiment Survey shows a “sharp deterioration” in SME confidence since its first survey published in March, with expectations for land purchasing, housing starts and housing market conditions all weakening significantly. The survey in partnership with Quantum Development Finance (QDF) – the second of which was published today (June 30) - tracks changes in the confidence of smaller home builders - those building up to 500 homes - and the obstacles preventing them from expanding. According to the latest findings, more than nine in ten SME housebuilders said the Middle East conflict had made their business outlook for the next 12 months worse than expected. Only 1% disagreed, with more than 25% stating they had paused or reconsidered the acquisition of new development sites since the onset of the conflict.