30/06/2023
Another scare headline from another news outlet.
The most important thing to remember is that if you own a property, you only lose money if you sell during a downturn!
Granted, if you need to refinance whilst your property has gone down in value you may have to take a slightly more expensive mortgage product. If you do not sell during that downturn and you keep your property and prices start to increase, you won't have lost a penny.
Also, the worst time to sell a house is between JULY and SEPTEMBER as much of the population have many other things to do, kids off school, summer holidays etc. It is very likely that we will see many negative press headlines between now and October when the market will pick up again, or at least would normally go on previous year's experience.
SKY NEWS
House prices fall 3.5% - with 10% drop predicted
Yesterday we brought you news that four in 10 house sellers were knocking 5% off their asking prices in an effort to shift homes.
Now, Nationwide has reported a 3.5% fall in annual house prices in June.
And Tom Bill, research head at estate agent Knight Frank, expects a 10% decline in prices spread over 2023 and 2024.
“Prices will come under growing pressure given how much higher mortgage costs are compared to 18 months ago and we expect a 10% decline, spread over this year and 2024," he said.
An increase in borrowing costs following the Bank of England's rate rise to 5% is dampening the housing market, according to Nationwide.
Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said people coming off two-year fixed-rate mortgage deals could face an increase of £385 per month on a new deal.
Those coming off five-year deals are looking at an increase equating to around £315 per month.
"Longer-term borrowing costs have risen to levels similar to those prevailing in the wake of the mini-budget last year," said Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist.
But the number of mortgage applications has not yet declined, he said.
This sentiment was echoed by Nathan Emerson, CEO of property professionals’ body Propertymark, who reported "only a slight dip" in the number of buyers compared to last year.
Mortgage rate increases could increase the number of landlords selling up and strengthen buyers' negotiating position, according to Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
This could help them secure those 5% discounts.