The number of homes on the market sits at an eleven-year high at the start of the spring selling season, making it a clear buyers’ market.
However, there is evidence buyers are being put off by higher mortgage rates and economic uncertainty caused by the war in Iran, despite their strong position.
Buyer demand in April to date is 7 per cent below this time last year and the number of agreed sales is 3 per cent down, according to figures from Rightmove.
Average asking prices rose by 0.8 per cent, or £2,929, in April to reach £373,971, less than the long-term April average of 1.2 per cent.
Sellers may have to cut their asking prices over the coming weeks and months due to increased mortgage rates, which are limiting buyers’ spending power.
The average two-year fixed rate has risen to 5.42 per cent, up from 4.25 per cent before the start of the war, according to Rightmove, adding a monthly average of around £235 to a typical new mortgage.
Selling season? With homes for sale at an 11 year-high and buyer enquiries below where they were last year, the market is yet to spring into life
The rise in asking prices was mainly driven by higher-priced, top-of-the-ladder homes of four bedrooms or more, according to Rightmove.
This is because buyers of these types of homes are typically discretionary movers or cash purchasers who are less reliant on mortgages and not as bothered by increased borrowing costs.
Polly Ogden Duffy managing director of estate agent John D Wood & Co in London said: ‘The family housing market is continuing to perform strongly, especially in areas with sought after schools, where demand can still outstrip supply and, in some cases, result in multiple bids.’
And buyer enquiries have held up most among first-time buyers with demand down just 6 per cent.
This suggests that for now higher mortgage rates are not putting off new potential first-time buyers from enquiring.
‘Some buyers will be feeling cautious due to cost of living and mortgage rate increases,’ says Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert.
‘However, the latest data shows that, at least for now, home-movers are largely showing their usual resilience with their housing needs trumping other events.’
Flats struggling to sell
Polly Ogden Duffy, managing director at John D Wood & Co estate agents in London says the flats market is particularly bad at the moment.
One bed flats seem to be struggling the most. There are 20 per cent more one bed flats for sale now than there were five years ago, but 42 per cent fewer buyer enquiries, the property website said.
Polly Ogden Duffy, managing director at John D Wood & Co estate agents in London
Over the past six months the number of homeowners selling their one bed flat at a loss has skyrocketed, according to analysis of Land Registry data by property analytics firm, Bricks&Logic.
It showed that 36 per cent of one bedroom apartments are now selling for less than the owner paid for them.
This compares to 25 per cent of two-plus bedroom flats selling at a loss, and only 7 per cent of houses.
It means that one bedroom flats are more than five times more likely to sell at a loss than a house.
‘With the arrival of spring, pricing has become more critical than ever,’ says Ogden Duffy. ‘With an increased supply of homes – particularly flats lingering from 2025 – buyers have more choice and are less inclined to engage with overpriced properties, meaning sellers who price too ambitiously risk missing out on serious, proceedable buyers.’
Wage growth could boost market
While the unexpected headwinds of mortgage rate rises have dented any hope of a buoyant start to 2026, there are tailwinds keeping the market moving, according to Rightmove.
It says average earnings are up by 3.9 per cent on last year, outpacing average asking prices which are down 0.9 per cent meaning some buyers may find they can get more bang for their buck.
A typical mover is also now able to borrow more, due to last year’s review of the loan-to-income cap and reminder to lenders about stress testing flexibility by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Many mortgage lenders are now imposing more relaxed stress testing – the higher rate at which they check a borrower will still be able to afford their repayments.
And some lenders are now offering customers the ability to borrow up to six times their gross annual salary.
‘What really matters right now is price,’ said Mark Wiggin, director of Mark Wiggin Estate Agents in Ludlow, Shropshire. ‘Homes need to reflect today’s market, not last year’s, and there’s a big difference between being in the market and just sitting on it.
‘Buyers start with three things: the price, the photos and how long a home’s been listed.
‘If something’s been on the market for more than a few months, buyers immediately assume it’s overpriced.
‘In this market, sellers must respond to that feedback – the market always tells you when the price isn’t right.’