Australia crumbles in house price Ashes, as Birmingham and Manchester prove big hitters for England

Research by national fast sale agent, Springbok Properties, has shed light on the change in house prices in England and Australia since the Ashes rivals’ last series.

Springbok looked at data from eight cities in each country, discovering that England has seen considerably more success since the last Ashes in December 2017 when it comes to house prices.

Manchester and Birmingham have been England’s big hitters in that time, with the former seeing a house price growth of 5.61% – increasing from an average of £172,720 to £182,417 – while the latter has experienced a 5.52% growth, from £178,248 to £188,079.

Sheffield follows with a house price increase of 3.25%, ahead of Leeds’ growth of 2.96% and Bristol’s 2.53% since the last Ashes series.

England’s middle-order is followed by the night watchmen of London, Liverpool, and Bradford, who have suffered somewhat in comparison to their teammates. London has experienced the biggest dip since December 2017, with house price growth at -4.06%, while Liverpool’s -1.11% and Bradford’s -0.70% round out the list.

However, despite the tail end collapse, such price decreases are much more common for Australia, with Sydney’s growth at -12.48%, from $1,179,519 (Australian dollars) to $1,032,338, while Darwin and Melbourne have experienced similar collapses.

Darwin’s growth since the last Ashes clash is -11.17%, while Melbourne follows with -9.47%, and Perth and Canberra have also struggled to make an impact for Australia, the former experiencing growth of -5.27% and the latter at -1.54%.

There are some positives down under, however, as Brisbane has seen a house price growth of 1.87% since December 2017, while Adelaide has seen an increase of 3.38%.

Hobart has picked up the most runs for the Aussies, with solid growth of 6.97% since the last Ashes series, as the average house price has risen from $443,521 to $474,423.

Still, a comfortable victory for England with an average growth of 1.75% across the eight cities in question, compared to Australia’s -3.46%.

Founder and CEO of Springbok Properties, Shepherd Ncube, commented:

“We can only hope that these numbers foreshadow a turn around in form in the actual Ashes and that England’s rather disappointing performance in the first test is nothing more than a world cup hangover.

One thing is for sure, England certainly takes the title when it comes to both the best performances for house price growth and general affordability across a number of major cities. While we continue to talk about the Brexit-based market downturn led largely by a declining London market, it could be worse and homeowners in the capital are still better off than their counterparts in the likes of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or Darwin.

That said, new building approvals in Australia hit a six-year low this week, meaning the risk of oversupply is down considerably, and house prices could soon rise in Melbourne and Sydney especially as demand starts to outstrip the stock available.”

England
City
AveHP (Dec 2017)
AveHP now (latest data May 2019)
Change / growth (2017-2019)
London
£476,848
£457,471
-4.06%
Birmingham
£178,248
£188,079
5.52%
Leeds
£177,575
£182,832
2.96%
Sheffield
£156,945
£162,049
3.25%
Bradford
£135,491
£134,548
-0.70%
Liverpool
£127,877
£126,458
-1.11%
Manchester
£172,720
£182,417
5.61%
Bristol
£274,797
£281,758
2.53%
Cities Average
£212,563
£214,452
1.75%

 

Australia
City
AveHP (Dec 2017)
AveHP now (latest data May 2019)
Change / growth (2017-2019)
Sydney
$1,179,519
$1,032,338
-12.48%
Melbourne
$903,859
$818,237
-9.47%
Brisbane
$548,918
$559,167
1.87%
Adelaide
$522,815
$540,473
3.38%
Perth
$557,567
$528,186
-5.27%
Hobart
$443,521
$474,423
6.97%
Canberra
$753,516
$741,947
-1.54%
Darwin
$565,696
$502,521
-11.17%
Cities Average
$684,426
$649,662
-3.46%

 

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

What Every Estate Agent Should Tell Clients Before Moving Day

For most estate agents, the job is done once contracts are exchanged, completion takes place, and the keys are handed over. For your client, however, that’s when one of the biggest challenges begins. Moving day has the power to turn months of excitement into an incredibly stressful experience, or a smooth finish to what has…
Read More
Breaking News

Heatwaves haven’t diminished love for south-facing gardens

The latest research from Yopa reveals that despite 81% of people saying they have been avoiding their garden during the recent heatwaves, south-facing gardens continue to be the preferred orientation of choice for UK homeowners, attracting house price premiums of over £20,000 on average. However, the insight from Yopa also suggests that should heatwaves become…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove extends conversational search experience to property listings 

Rightmove is launching the next stage of its conversational search experience for home-movers, bringing the innovative new capability to its property listings. The move is part of Rightmove’s approach to ensure that ‘However you discover, we have you covered’. The ‘Ask Rightmove’ conversational search experience launched on its home page earlier this year, bringing a more personalised and interactive way to search…
Read More
Breaking News

Homebuyer demand slips in Q2 2026

Buyer demand slips in Q2 2026, with North and Midlands continuing to outperform southern markets The latest sales demand data from eXp UK has revealed that homebuyer demand in England slipped by -1.1% in Q2 2026. The analysis also reveals a continued regional divide, with a number of counties in the North and Midlands recording…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

International buyer slowdown one of Prime London’s biggest challenges

The latest survey of UK prime residential agents by AgentWise has found that many believe a slowdown in international buyer activity to be one of the biggest challenges facing the market today, whilst many have also noted an increase in the number of clients looking to explore property opportunities overseas rather than the UK. AgentWise…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing market hit by £21m increase in fall-through bill

The latest Fall-Through Index by the House Buyer Bureau reveals that the number of property fall-throughs across the UK increased by 9.8% during the first quarter of 2026, resulting in an additional £20.9m in costs to the housing market compared to the previous quarter. House Buyer Bureau analysed the latest data from TwentyCi on the estimated…
Read More