Sales of flats are plummeting in Manchester – Don’t Panic?

I’m sure many of us will have repeatedly seen positive news from Manchester regarding the property scene with many headlines based around prices increasing as well as demand. Of course, many other areas across the UK are quite opposite with London leading the way in price falls and the general agreement within the industry is that this trend is likely to continue as the Brexit jigsaw puzzle is trying to be pieced together.

Very recent reports though via the Manchester Evening News website runs with the headline of ‘Is the bubble about to burst?‘.

The story leads with the decline of property sales in the city of which flats sees the steepest downward trend. Of course, Brexit is on the menu for the reasoning behind the sales slump, but surely it is just part of what has happened countless times before in that the ripple effect from declines in the southern parts of England has travelled up north? Affordability must also play its part in the decline of sales?

A 22% drop in sales of flats and maisonettes during the 12 months to August of 2018 (national average was -8% across the UK) was reported compared to the previous 12 months – 2,606 sales compared to 3,359. The effect though has not seen a decline in prices and they continue to rise for the current time in Manchester.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Zoopla Rental Market Report: Rents rising at lowest level for 3.5 years

Upcoming reforms in the rental market will limit new investment and the number of homes for rent Rents rising at lowest level for 3.5 years as Zoopla warns upcoming rental reforms will continue to limit rental supply   Average UK rents for new lets are three per cent higher over the last year, down from…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Commonhold White Paper – Thoughts from the Industry

The sale of new leasehold flats in England and Wales is to be banned under Labour’s plan to end the  ‘feudal’ system. Labour wants to switch to Scotland’s commonhold system There are around 5 million leaseholders in England and Wales. Under commonhold, each flat owner would own the freehold of their home, but also have…
Read More
Breaking News

Greenpeace Ruling Exposes UK Government Policy

In January 2025, Greenpeace brought a collective action against the Dutch state for failing to comply with a 2018 European Court of Justice ruling on nutrient neutrality. An appeal is expected: however, as the UK Government has adopted the same ‘tax builders for pollution others cause’ approach to reducing nutrient pollution, it may find itself…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Rightmove commentary on mortgage market + weekly tracker

Commenting on the mortgage market, Rightmove’s expert Matt Smith said: “The market has settled after the unexpectedly high inflation figure. Average mortgage rates on many products have trickled downwards, and we’ve even seen the return of some eye-grabbing sub-4% mortgage rates for those with the biggest deposits. It shows that mortgage lenders are still keen to…
Read More
Breaking News

Government plans to ban new leasehold flats

With the Government’s plans to ban new leasehold flats, an expert says the system must be ready to cope. With the news that Government is to outline plans to ban new leasehold flats and adopt commonhold, with draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill to be published later this year, Scott Goldstein, Partner, Payne Hicks Beach,…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England Money and Credit Report – January 2025

Overview These monthly statistics on the amount of, and interest rates on, borrowing and deposits by households and businesses are used by the Bank’s policy committees to understand economic trends and developments in the UK banking system. Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals rose by £0.9 billion, to £4.2 billion in January.…
Read More