UK house prices rise again as easing of mortgage rates tempts more buyers

UK home costs rose for the second month in a row in November, in accordance with a number one index, as a slight easing in mortgage charges helped coax extra patrons into the market.

The common worth of a UK property rose by £1,394 – or 0.5% – final month to £283,615, in accordance with the mortgage lender Halifax.

It indicators an uptick in exercise throughout the housing market, the place worth progress has stalled over the previous yr due to a rise in rates of interest and subsequent affordability pressures which have pushed away in any other case keen patrons.

UK home costs have additionally been underpinned by a scarcity of accessible properties over the previous yr, as many sellers await the market to normalise and costs to get well.

On an annual foundation, costs are down 1%, though Halifax mentioned this was a “comparatively modest” drop given the financial headwinds which have weighed on shoppers over the previous 12 months. Common home costs are nonetheless £40,000 above pre-pandemic ranges, having been skewed throughout the Covid disaster, when folks scrambled to purchase bigger properties.

“Current figures for mortgage approvals counsel a slight uptick in exercise ranges, which is probably going because of an enhancing image on affordability for homebuyers,” Kim Kinnaird, the director of Halifax Mortgages, mentioned. “With mortgage charges beginning to ease barely, this can be resulting in elevated purchaser confidence, seeing folks extra inclined to push forward with their dwelling purchases.”

Nonetheless, Kinnaird mentioned home costs had been unlikely to proceed their upward climb into the brand new yr. “The financial circumstances stay unsure, making it arduous to evaluate the extent to which market exercise will likely be maintained. Different pressures – like inflation, the broader value of dwelling, general employment charges and affordability – imply we anticipate to see downward strain on home costs into subsequent yr.”

Northern Eire has skilled the strongest rise in home costs over the previous 12 months, with the typical dwelling costing £4,294 extra in contrast with final yr, at £184,684.

Whereas London maintains the highest spot for the best common home costs within the UK, at £524,592, costs have fallen by 3.8% over the previous yr.

The Halifax findings chime with these of the rival Nationwide, which reported final Friday that home p