Our monthly property market review is intended to provide background to recent developments in property markets as well as to give an indication of how some key issues could impact in the future.
We are not responsible or authorised to provide advice on investment decisions concerning property, only for the provision of mortgage advice. We hope you will find this review to be of interest.
Property experts Savills are hopeful that 2025 will be a positive year for the housing market, despite some challenges.
The average house price is expected to increase by 4% over the course of this year, partly due to improved mortgage affordability restoring confidence among potential buyers. In 2024, performance in London was better than expected; more people returned to work in the capital, reversing the pandemic’s ‘race for space’. As a result, house price growth in the South West, and East of England is expected to fall below London in 2025.
Challenges are expected to persist for the rental market because demand continues to exceed supply. Savills expect that rents will increase by 4.0%, outpacing income growth. Also, the prime housing market is likely to display slower recovery due to the abolition of the ‘non-dom’ tax status plus the increased Stamp Duty surcharge on second homes.
The number of property listings surged at the start of 2025, according to online estate agents Yopa.
There is often a spike in housing stock in January, as many homeowners make new year’s resolutions to move. This year was no exception, with 25,837 new homes listed within the first week of 2025. Bristol experienced the most significant rise, with the number of properties for sale going up by 12.3%. There was also a notable increase of 9.4% in both Merseyside and Norfolk. This flurry of activity could be attributed to the upcoming Stamp Duty deadline, which is expected to prompt a busy Q1.
On the other hand, the City of London has seen the weakest seller activity of 2025 thus far, with property listings increasing by only 2.3%. Similarly, Cornwall (3.3%) and Cumbria (3.6%) experienced marginal rises in owners putting their homes up for sale.
Zoopla has revealed the average time spent in a property before moving out.
According to Zoopla’s research, the typical UK homeowner will live in their home for nine years. Of the homes sold over the last 18 months, two trends were found. Firstly, there was a peak in sales from owners who moved in between 2005-2007, before the global financial crisis. Also, there was a spike in activity amongst sellers who bought their homes three to six years ago (before or during the pandemic). The key factors motivating people to move are changes to lifestyle, fire safety issues and affordability challenges.
The length of time spent in a property varies depending on region. Those living in Scotland and the North East are more likely to sell within five years because the cost of moving is cheaper, meanwhile Londoners stay put the longest.
HOUSE PRICE INDEX (Nov 2024) | 151.9 |
AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE | £290,000 |
MONTHLY CHANGE | -0.4% |
ANNUAL CHANGE | 3.3% |
*(Jan 2015 = 100)
Source: The Land Registry
Release date: 15/01/25
Next data release: 19/02/25
| REGION | Monthly Change (%) | Annual Change (%) | Average Price (£) |
| ENGLAND | -0.4% | 3.0% | £306,494 |
| NORTHERN IRELAND (QUARTER 3 – 2024) | 2.8% | 6.2% | £190,553 |
| SCOTLAND | -0.8% | 4.7% | £195,036 |
| WALES | -0.7% | 3.0% | £219,446 |
| EAST MIDLANDS | -0.4% | 2.7% | £248,561 |
| EAST OF ENGLAND | -1.0% | 2.0% | £339,560 |
| LONDON | -1.0% | -0.1% | £511,279 |
| NORTH EAST | 1.1% | 5.9% | £168,791 |
| NORTH West | 0.6% | 5.7% | £226,627 |
| SOUTH EAST | -0.7% | 1.4% | £377,822 |
| SOUTH WEST | -1.8% | 2.2% | £317,608 |
| WEST MIDLANDS REGION | 0.0% | 3.7% | £254,912 |
| YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER | 0.8% | 5.7% | £217,939 |
| Property Type | Annual Increase |
| Detached £436,949 | 1.5% |
| semi-Detached £283,546 | 4.3% |
| Terraced £242,598 | 4.7% |
| Flat/Maisonette £233,230 | 2.1% |
Source: The Land Registry
Release date: 15/01/25
“While the housing market has been supported in recent months by falling mortgage rates, income growth and the announcement on upcoming Stamp Duty policy changes, mortgage affordability will remain a challenge for many, especially as the Bank Rate is likely to come down more slowly than previously predicted. However, providing employment conditions don’t deteriorate markedly from a more recent softening, buyer demand should hold up relatively well and, taking all this into account, we’re continuing to anticipate modest house price growth this year.”
Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages, Halifax
Source: Halifax, January 2025
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
All details are correct at the time of writing (20 November 2024)