Rightmove: growing demand for smaller properties
Houses with two bedrooms or fewer are in demand, but low on supply.
The latest Rightmove House Price Index has revealed a growing demand for houses with two bedrooms or fewer.
Rightmove revealed that the greatest gap between buyer enquiries and the number of properties available is for smaller homes, with 24% more enquiries for smaller properties than for homes with three bedrooms or more. It’s not just first-time buyers who favour these houses; they’re also popular among downsizers and buy-to-let investors.
The property website said developers now face a "quandary" on how to deliver more smaller homes, when larger homes tend to offer greater profit margins and attract more comfortable buyers.
Rightmove director Miles Shipside said: "Improving affordability requires the creation of more homes of the right type and in the right place, resulting in increased churn and more pricing competition. The challenge is to identify what is in demand and in short supply and build more of it.”
Asking prices
For the second month in a row, the average asking price for property has reached a new record high. The average asking price is now £294,542 – that's £191 (0.1%) higher than June, and represents a jump of more than 5% on last year.
However, there’s also been a "sharp drop" in number of properties being put up for sale, emphasising the current housing crisis.
Fewer people are buying because of the struggle to afford record asking prices, coupled with a "seasonal summer slowdown", rightmove says. That said, the same period this time last year saw a 0.6% fall in house prices, suggesting the usual annual decrease in activity during the summer months.
Compare mortgage rates with loveMONEY
More on housing:
Landlord tax relief changes: what’s next for rents?
Number of UK property millionaires passes 500,000
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature