(Alliance News) - The average price growth for property coming to market for sale slowed in January, data published by property portal Rightmove PLC showed Monday.
Average new property prices were up 0.5% on-year in January, or GBP1,805, to GBP367,994.
This was a "muted" price hike for this time of year, Rightmove noted, as the number of homes available for sale is now at a ten-year high as the New Year price surge begins to moderate.
England's upcoming stamp duty deadline has also been spurring buyer activity, as the threshold for stamp duty payments is due to be lowered to GBP125,000 from GBP250,000 by April 1.
"New sellers are showing some pricing restraint after a fast start to the year, being mindful of both the high level of seller competition, and in England also of the looming stamp duty deadline and extra costs for some buyers," said Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove.
"Agents report that some of the steam is coming out of new sellers’ price expectations to fit the changing market conditions, which is a sensible reaction to attract buyer interest, and it will also help to support activity levels."
"The upcoming stamp duty deadline in England remains a key talking point, and while some movers may not be affected at all, others will be more severely impacted...With the predicted conveyancing log-jam likely to cause some buyers to miss the deadline and end up paying more tax through no fault of their own, it would seem justifiable for the government to announce a short extension before the end of March."
Rightmove said there are currently more than 550,000 sold homes awaiting legal completion, which is 25% higher than the same time last year.
Applications for a mortgage in principle on Rightmove also hit a record high in January, increasing 49% on-year.
However, Rightmove said that "global and economic news could temper this momentum and affect sentiment and outlook for the market, with attention turning to upcoming inflation and earnings figures."
Matt Smith, mortgage expert at Rightmove, said: "We’ve now had the first Bank Rate cut of the year, and current forecasts suggest there are still two or potentially three more cuts to come, which could see us closing out the year with a Base Rate of 4% or lower. The response from the market to the decision has been positive, and mortgage rates have trickled downwards since the announcement.
"We hope this is the beginning of a sustained period of rates slowly heading downwards, and while we’re unlikely to see major falls across the board, we’ve already seen the first sub-4% rates of 2025."
By Emily Parsons, Alliance News reporter
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.