Sellers across the UK face a sluggish market, with the post‑Easter surge in interest stalling. Blue Book Agency specialist Lindsay Cuthill reports a 12% drop in buyer enquiries, while residential transactions fell 2% in May. London agents warn that, amid higher mortgage rates, buyers are treating homes as a buyers’ market.

Agents are tightening sale tactics, pricing homes to attract the right buyers. The Old Rectory in Suffolk sold for £1.25mn just ten days after launch, while the market saw a 0.6% dip in asking prices in June—the steepest monthly decline in 14 years. Rural estates now command a 20% rise in average asking prices year‑on‑year.

Savills predicts 2026 price drops in both prime central and outer suburbs, as 6% more homes sit on the market than in 2024 and 12% more than 2023. Yet buyers stay wary of high costs; building expenses have climbed 30‑40% over five years, making a steep price gap unattractive. Sellers must therefore set realistic guide prices.

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