“Of course, within that there are regional stories. The 1.6% year-on-year decrease in house prices seen across England and Wales almost disappears if we exclude London and the South East. The North East and Wales continue to lead the charge in improving house price performance.
“Going forward, in light of the Labour win, we should see further improvements in buyer sentiment as the government sets out to deliver on its manifesto pledges. These are ambitious and will take time but include creating a number of New Towns, rethinking the green belt, mandatory targets for Local Authorities, a Freedom to Buy Scheme, and a pledge to lower the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers in April 2025.
“Also, we may now see action from the Bank of England on interest rates, given the improving inflation picture, which will improve affordability for buyers.”
