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A price recovery in Prime Central London 'looks well overdue', says Frances McDonald

Pantheon Macroeconomics is more bullish than most.

Londoners' spending on homes outside the capital has returned to pre-Covid levels, reports Hamptons.

'The primary risk for London’s prime property market is now political rather than economic,' says Knight Frank's research chief, as he looks back at how 2023 unfolded, and assesses what lies ahead for…

'UK housing still looks expensive by historic standards,' says Zoopla, which expects prices to fall a further 2% in 2024 'as prices and incomes re-align.'

Mayfair's Grosvenor Square claims top spot in annual Halifax rankings, despite a £3mn drop in the average value.

The view that things can only get better, shared by many Prime London estate agents, 'is based on the notion that the property market simply cannot continue to stagnate for yet another year,' says BHHS…

'The only thing that is certain is uncertainty,' notes Jackson-Stops chairman Nick Leeming, sagely, after polling property market predictions from estate agents around the country.

Veteran agent Trevor Abrahmsohn summarises the ups and downs of the last 12 months, and what might lie ahead for the property market in 2024.

The property market 'remains a tad lethargic with no real movement planned until the new year comes,' says one estate agency boss after checking the latest ONS/Land Registry House Price Index.

2023's seasonal property market slowdown is even more marked than in previous years, according to the latest LonRes prime London data.

"For savvy buyers who are less credit reliant, it could be that the most attractive UK property purchasing opportunities are seen in the earlier months of 2024, prior to the market gaining further traction,"…