The 2023 House Price Drop

In this blog, we look at what happened in the housing market with house prices last year and look ahead at the forecast for 2024.

It is fair to say that 2023 didn’t see a property price crash, but prices did drop as the cost-of-living crisis and increased mortgage rates impacted on buyer’s budgets, while those wanting to sell up dropped their prices to attract interest.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the average house price dropped by 1.2% in the 12 months from October 2022 to October 2023. Whilst data from property search site, Rightmove confirms that the average asking prices fell by 1.9% between November and December, which was a sharper drop than normal as sellers attempted to entice buyers to view their homes during the festive period. Another property search site, Zoopla stated that house prices have fallen across 80% of the UK as the cost-of-living crisis affected demand and budgets as higher mortgage rates impacted their affordability and buying power.

With the property market facing a rather big challenge, we ask what is in store for 2024 the truth is, no one can be certain what will happen but it looks likely that the prices will continue to drop:

  • Nationwide expects that due to mortgage rates house prices may go down 0-2% throughout 2024

  • HomeOwners Alliance expects house prices to fall a further 1% in 2024

  • Zoopla predicts a 2% price drop in the UK

  • Rightmove believes the seller’s asking prices will be 1% lower nationally by the end of 2024

  • Lloyds Banking Group predicts that the prices will drop by a further 2.4% in 2024

Though there is some uncertainty around what will happen this year, most experts do not expect a housing market crash to take place. With inflation falling faster than anticipated, we are hopeful that the Bank of England could start cutting the base rate this year meaning better affordability for those looking to buy. 

Recent posts

We look at why mortgage rates increased following the Bank of England's choice to reduce the bank rate, and should you fix now?

On 30th October 2024 the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves delivered the Autumn budget which we had previously been warned would be “difficult”. Below we have summarised the main housing points.

In an increasingly cashless society, money is an intangible concept for children to grasp. In the days of coins and notes, kids could see money as something physical you require to purchase goods and services.
In order to help teach your children about money, we have listed some tips below;

The UK’s chancellor, Rachel Reeves will deliver the Labour government’s autumn budget at the end of the month, we take a look at what could be announced in relation to housing.

Recent research from Halifax has revealed the most sought-after locations for first time buyers in Britain.  

The data which was taken from the Halifax House Price Index looked at areas outside of London where those looking to purchase their first property were buying. Despite high property prices and increased rates, these first time buyer hotspots have remained popular.   

Taking care of your mental health means looking after your emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. There are several ways we can practice self-care that will help to improve our physical and mental health. This can help to reduce our risk of illness, manage stress, and boost our energy levels!

Buying your first home is very exciting but it can also be very daunting which is why we have set out a “to do list” to help you get started. 

With UK inflation remaining at 2.2% which is slightly above the Bank of England’s 2% target, the decision was made on Thursday 19th September to keep the base rate at 5%.