WEEKLY NEWS ROUNDUP – 20/01/2023

A roundup of the week’s top property and proptech news stories in partnership with Proptech-X

 

Table of Contents

  1. ONS UK House Price Index reveals average price increase of 10.3%
  2. Why the cost of heating a home is forcing many to downsize
  3. Over 50% of Property Investors Set to Further Invest in 2023
  4. More people are cutting out traditional estate agents to buy and sell property using social media

ONS UK House Price Index reveals average price increase of 10.3%

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released its latest House Price Index report, revealing monthly house price inflation in the UK, calculated using data from HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, and Land and Property Services Northern Ireland.

Key takeaways from the report include the following:

  • Average UK house prices increased by 10.3% in the year to November 2022, down from 12.4% in October 2022.
  • The average UK house price was £295,000 in November 2022, which is £28,000 higher than this time last year but a slight decrease from last month’s record high of £296,000.
  • Average house prices increased over the year to £315,000 (10.9%) in England, to £220,000 in Wales (10.7%), to £191,000 in Scotland (5.5%) and to £176,000 in Northern Ireland (10.7%).
  • Scotland’s annual house price inflation has generally been slowing since April 2022, reaching 5.5% in the year to November 2022, down from 14.2% in the year to April 2022.
  • The North West saw the highest annual percentage change in the year to November 2022 (13.5%), while London saw the lowest (6.3%) of all English regions.

Why the cost of heating a home is forcing many to downsize

Rising numbers of homeowners are looking to downsize so they can save money on heating, a property group has revealed.

The National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) said the soaring price of domestic bills coupled with the cost-of-living crisis is leading many to put their homes up for sale.

Jonathan Rolande, a spokesman for the NAPB, said: “In the last few months we’ve noticed a rise in activity linked to sellers saying the cost of heating larger homes is leading to them downsizing.

Country houses, particularly those that rely on oil for heating are among the worst hit. The average price of oil last year was 82% higher than it was in 2021. The price has fallen lately but many struggled either to pay, or to keep their property sufficiently warm.”

Many city dwellers moved out to the countryside during the pandemic in search of larger houses with bigger gardens, in what estate agents called the “race for space”.

Over 50% of Property Investors Set to Further Invest in 2023

Over 50% of property investors set to further invest in 2023  The uncertainty of the UKs economic stability is now becoming an increasingly prominent factor for those operating in the real-estate market, despite this, over 50% of property investors are looking to further expand their portfolio in 2023.

A recent survey of over 1,000 property investors completed by bridging finance broker Finbri, has discovered that despite economic uncertainty in the UK, 50.45% of all investors are planning to make further purchases in 2023 and there is even more activity planned by more experienced investors.

There is also likely to be an increase in investment property availability too as 23.07% of investors with less than 5 properties have said that increasing interest rates would cause them to sell their properties. In contrast, 67.92% of more experienced investors with over 5 investment properties, do plan to invest further in 2023.

More people are cutting out traditional estate agents to buy and sell property using social media

Soaring numbers of people are now ditching estate-agents and are choosing to buy or sell using social media instead. And the attraction is obvious – Instagram, the preferred property platform for most often sees a listing get more than 100,000 daily impressions.

That’s more than TWENTY TIMES the 4,000 views which is reportedly what the best performing advert on RightMove can generate.

But although the rise of the Insta-agent brings obvious benefits – one expert says those entering the market this way need to be mindful of the risks.

 

Andrew Stanton Executive Editor – moving property and proptech forward. PropTech-X

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Changes to mortgage affordability to support sales as house price growth cools

House price growth has slowed to 1.6 per cent annually, down from 1.9 per cent at the end of 2024, as buyer interest cools and the number of homes for sale continues to expand Buyer demand is one per cent higher than a year ago, while the number of homes for sale is 12 per…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Rents rise to new record despite boost in supply

The average advertised rent of homes outside of London has risen to a new record this quarter of £1,349 per calendar month (pcm), however it is the smallest increase in rents at this time of year since 2020: London rents also rise by 0.1% (+£3) to a 14th consecutive new record of £2,698 pcm this quarter…
Read More
Breaking News

Size Matters in Planning

The House Builders Association (HBA), the housebuilding division of the National Federation of Builders (NFB) has reignited its campaign for the planning system to adopt five clear site size definitions, replacing the current, arbitrary ones of ‘Minor’ (one to ten homes) and ‘Major’ (ten and above). Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the NFB, said: “In…
Read More
Breaking News

Popping the Asking Price Bubble

Where in the Uk Can Buyers Snap Up Property Bargains and Where Properties Go for a Premium Above Asking Price   New research from fast selling property company, Upstix has uncovered the UK’s most surprising postcodes for snapping up a property at bargain prices this year, highlighting a widening gap between sellers’ expectations and the…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Highest demand to lease office space since pre-pandemic

The latest insights from the UK’s number one commercial property website Rightmove, reveals that the number of unique enquiries to lease office space is at its highest point since pre-pandemic, as businesses look for spaces that meet modern requirements. Demand to lease office space is 19% higher than the same period a year ago and…
Read More
Planning disputes on new build land
Estate Agent Talk

Planning consultations for major infrastructure to be streamlined

Robert Bruce, a planning and infrastructure partner at law firm Freeths LLP, said he: “Welcomed the change as a significant step to speeding up the DCO process and the focus on the quality and effectiveness of the consultation, rather than box ticking and a risk averse approach to pre-application consultation due to the current legal…
Read More