rss RSS Feed

 

Halifax says house prices down but stabilising

House prices fell by 16.2% on an annual basis in December and by 2.2% from the previous month, according to Halifax. The UK average price has returned to the level in August 2004 of £159,799.






Martin Ellis, chief economist, said: "There was a 2.2% decline in average UK house prices in December. Continuing pressures on incomes and the negative impact of the dislocation of the financial markets on the availability of mortgage finance are expected to exert further downward pressure on the market over the coming months. 





 


But a number of factors will help to support demand and should help to limit the downturn. Improving housing affordability and an easing in the pressure on the majority of households' finances should support market activity and prices. The house price to earnings ratio – a key affordability measure - is at its lowest for five and a half years."


 


House prices nationally declined by 5.2% in Quarter 4.  This was similar to the decreases recorded in the two previous quarters (-5.6% in Quarter 3 and -5.1% in Quarter 2), suggesting that the underlying rate of decline may be stabilising.


 


Housing market activity shows signs of stabilising albeit at a low level. The number of mortgages approved to finance house purchase was broadly unchanged for the fourth successive month in October at a seasonally adjusted 32,000.  Estate agents reported the first increase in newly agreed sales for 18 months in November and the first rise in new buyer enquiries since October 2006.  (Sources: Bank of England and RICS). 

PrintPrint Article

Date: 2nd, January, 2009

Switch Energy Supplier

Switch energy supplier

Save up to £425 on your Gas and Electricity bills Now!

Find suppliers
Broadband Finder provided by Broadband Choices
Compare Broadband
Compare the latest solo and bundled broadband packages with our Ofcom accredited comparison calculator.
Mortgage Finder provided by The Buy to Let Business
Buy to let

Do you need help looking for the right mortgage? Let someone else do the hard work for you.


ADVICE TO READERS

While this website is checked for accuracy, we are not liable for any incorrect information included. We recommend that you make enquiries based on your own circumstances and, if necessary, take professional advice before entering into transactions.

 

Free Newsletter

Register for your FREE weekly What Mortgage newsletter and get:

  • The latest mortgage news and deals

  • access to exclusive special guides and features

  • exclusive invitations to competitions

First Name

Your Email

Metropolis Business Media respects your privacy. We collect information via this registration page to support promotion and publicity of our magazines and events through email marketing. The information will be used to provide you with personalised and user-specific newsletters, emails, e-flyers and/or surveys and you may unsubscribe at any time.

Sign up for free news e-mailer

Third party contact:

House price search

house price index

Enter your postcode here to find out how much your property is worth, based on Land Registry data.

Mortgage Calculator - How much can I borrow?

Enter the following information to calculate the amount you can borrow.

First Income:

Second Income: