Housing Market Surges as Stamp Duty Changes Drive Buyer Activity

Kerb appeal

UK Finance today releases its latest Household Finance Review for Q1 2025, which explores trends in household spending, saving, and borrowing. Mortgage lending surged in the first quarter of 2025, driven by homebuyers seeking to complete purchases before changes to Stamp Duty took effect in April. Household savings continued to grow, particularly in notice accounts…

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Mortgage Approvals Down in April

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for April sat at 60,463 down (-4.9%) from 63,603 in March. This signals four consecutive months of decline. Approvals are also lower (-2.1%) than the 61,740 seen in April 2024. Despite the decline, there is still optimism for growth in the coming months, especially…

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Response to latest Nationwide House Price Index

Comment on latest Nationwide data showing a 3.5% increase in house prices from the Industry. Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark: “It is reassuring to witness consistent house price growth and a strong appetite as people continue to approach the homebuying and selling process, especially when the UK economy continues to adapt to both domestic and…

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Annual house price growth edged higher in May

Annual rate of house price growth increased marginally in May to 3.5%, compared to 3.4% in April House prices were up 0.5% month on month House prices in predominantly rural areas have risen by 23% over the last five years, compared to 18% in more urban areas Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief…

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Why Rural House Prices Are Surging Faster Than Cities

Surge in country and seaside property values

New analysis from Open Property Group reveals that rural England is facing an affordability crunch, as house prices in the countryside outpace urban growth, despite lower average wages and higher living costs in remote areas. These shifting dynamics are challenging the long-standing assumption that rural life offers a more affordable and sustainable alternative to the…

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Liverpool home to the nation’s busiest estate agents

The latest research by eXp UK, the platform for personal estate agents and estate agency businesses, has shown that the average agent is listing 26 properties in the current market, but it’s agents in Liverpool who are the busiest, listing an average of 46 properties per agent. eXp UK analysed current market data on the…

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Government to help SME builders

The Government has announced a package of proposals to directly help small and medium sized builders (SMEs) and they include a ‘Medium’ sized site definition to enable more proportionate planning requirements, streamlined planning for ‘Minor’ sized sites and more targeted support for access to land and finance. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation…

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The five MOST searched mortgage questions answered by a property expert

With terms including the word ‘mortgages’ generating over half-a-million Google searches a month (595k) in the UK alone, it’s clear that many prospective homeowners are still confused about how mortgages work, what they’re eligible for, and how to navigate a challenging market. To help provide clarity, Luke Williams, Specialist Property Advisor, at Pure Property Finance,…

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Nationwide report Rural rules the roost

Rural rules the roost as countryside homes plough ahead of urban properties for house price growth House prices in predominantly rural areas have risen by 23% over the last five years, compared to 18% in predominantly urban areas Rural terraced properties have seen the strongest rate of price growth, urban flats the weakest Commenting on…

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Inheritance Tax Receipts raise £0.8 billion in one month

Inheritance tax receipts hit £0.8 billion in April 2025 according to data released by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) this morning. This is £97 million higher than in April of the previous tax year, and continues an upward trend over the last two decades. With such a strong start to the new tax year, predictions that Inheritance tax…

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London rental market rebalances amid rising supply

Foxtons data shows There was a 5% increase in market supply in April, and a 9%, increase in market supply of new instructions year to date The average rent in April 2025 increased by 3% to stand at £589 per week April saw a 3% month-on-month reduction in applicant registrations, which goes against the trend…

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