Property Market News

Most affluent property buyers are "undeterred" by the looming end of the Stamp Duty holiday, says Savills, but the pandemic is likely to leave "a legacy of changed priorities" amongst home-buyers.

“The outlook for the super-prime London market remains fairly positive at present," says Benham and Reeves boss Marc von Grundherr.

April saw UK house price growth slow for the first time since July 2020, according to the official index.

New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, the UK and US are amongst the world's "frothiest" housing markets, according to new analysis, with high price-to-rent and price-to-income ratios.

Pandemic-induced property trends mean it is now cheaper to rent a home than buy one, says Hamptons, reversing a six-year trend.

"Market conditions have remained brisk over the last month," says national buying agency Garrington in its latest market update video, "exacerbated further by the forthcoming phasing out of the Stamp Duty…

The latest RIBA Future Trends Index, for May 2021, tells of the highest level of  optimism amongst architects since 2016 - and a record high for the private housing sector.

"It’s like being on a movie set," reports St Ives estate agent.

Surveyors report the widest mismatch between property supply and demand since 2013, as agreed sales numbers continue to rise ahead of the end of the Stamp Duty holiday.

Chestertons has reported a 'rare scenario of supply meeting demand' in London, as new sales listings exceed buyer registrations. But it's still a sellers’ market, says the firm.

Some 704,000 homes are marked Sold Subject to Contract and are now going through the sales process, according to Rightmove; it's the biggest sales pipeline of the last decade, 78% higher than in May 2019.

Either "put your running shoes by the door" so you can jump on viewings instantly, says Clare Coode of Stacks Property Search in Cornwall, or "wait till the froth dies down".