More properties are coming on the market for sale with agents reporting an increase in supply. At the same time the countryside and ‘quieter living’ is still proving popular for buyers. Meanwhile, more people are looking to rent.

The estate agents’ professional body PropertyMark showed in its recent Housing Insight Report that there were 70 per cent more homes for sale in April than the same period last year. It brought the average amount of stock available per branch to 34. That’s a big increase of 14 properties more than in April 2022. 

At the same time, the property market is once again similar to pre-pandemic figures in terms of sales, with an average of eight properties sold per branch. The majority of homes – around 75 per cent – are selling at sums below the asking price.

‘Escape to the countryside’ still going strong

Meanwhile, lockdowns may be over but the rush to the countryside is far from nearing its end. Hybrid working has meant many house buyers are still looking for quieter spots in which to reside. And they want bigger homes too. 

At least that’s the findings from the latest Halifax report which says detached homes are by far the most popular category for today’s buyers. To the extent we’re buying seven per cent more than we were a decade ago. That’s a rise from 25 per cent to 32 per cent.

Analysts believe many older people who have built up large amounts of equity in their homes are downsizing. The reason for this is to help children and grandchildren get on the property ladder themselves.

The loser in the property stakes is terraced homes, which have fallen from 26 per cent popularity to 21 per cent over the same period. More of these are now being snapped up by first-time buyers.

At present, the number of detached homes in England and Wales – 4.21 million – makes up 16 per cent of all available homes. That compares to 6.93 million terraced houses (26 per cent) and 1.10 million flats (23 per cent).

More renters than property available

The number of people looking to rent in April was 24 per cent higher than the same time last year, the same Propertymark report we mentioned earlier showed. That worked out at around 118 prospective tenants registered per agency branch. And yet, there are only around nine properties to rent per agency. Despite this, the average rent is 75 per cent less than in April 2022.

Propertymark CEO Nathan Emerson said: “We are still seeing the demand for property grow but no increase in homes. This means that pressure on rent prices is remaining, whilst new legislation will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect, we desperately need more homes for renters.”

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