21/09/2026
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐
๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ฆ. ๐โ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐. ๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ .
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐'๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
Compared with the equivalent week last year:
๐ Viewings +20%
๐ Offers received +67%
๐ Applicant registrations +33%
Year to date versus the same period in 2025:
๐ Viewings +34%
๐ Offers received +61%
๐ Applicant registrations +47%
Last September was already subdued ahead of the late November Budget. Sales continued, but some movers delayed decisions; January then brought significant pent-up demand.
Activity has quietened from our strong earlier months, yet remains ahead of last year. We feel the mood approaching this Budget is more positive than twelve months ago. Buyers are still viewing, registering and offering โ some take longer to commit.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Rightmove reports September asking prices +0.7%, the first monthly rise since May. But available homes are at a 12-year seasonal high and national buyer enquiries are 9% below last year โ unlike our local figures.
Zoopla reports home searches +7% year on year (+8.9% in the South East), but sales agreed โ6% nationally and buyers' purchasing power down around 9% since January.
RICS reports a fifth consecutive monthly improvement in buyer enquiries, with agreed sales and expectations also recovering from recent lows. Interest remains, but affordability and uncertainty can delay commitment.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐?
A Reuters poll of property specialists forecasts UK house-price growth of:
2026: +1.3% 2027: +2.0% 2028: +3.3%
These are forecasts, not guarantees; ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ. The central expectation is modest national growth.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
The Bank of England held Bank Rate at 3.75%; three of nine policymakers voted to increase it. August inflation reached 3.1%, with higher energy prices creating uncertainty. Rightmove's average two-year fixed mortgage rate rose from 5.09% last month to 5.29%.
The Bank also changed its gilt-selling programme; yields fell afterwards, though cheaper mortgages won't necessarily follow immediately.
Economists' forecasts and financial-market pricing are not the same thing. Economists generally forecast their most likely outcome; markets price a range of risks, including prolonged energy shocks. Rate rises are possible, not inevitable.
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
The Budget is on 28 October, almost a month earlier than last year's 26 November date.
Last autumn's weeks of property-tax rumours coincided with declining activity. By the time the Budget had passed, Christmas was close; January then brought pent-up demand.
We don't expect a post-Budget boom, but some hesitant movers may return once they know what's been announced.
โ
๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐
Chancellor John Healey has reiterated the Government's fiscal rules and the need for a buffer against uncertainty. No new property-tax measure has been announced from this week's reports.
๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ / ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐
A reported proposal would lower the threshold for a higher-value property levy from ยฃ2m to ยฃ1.5m.
If adopted, it could affect confidence and demand in parts of London and the South East. It is not confirmed Budget policy.
Whatever their source, Budget rumours can influence decisions before policy exists. We'll keep separating fact from speculation.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Affordability and Budget uncertainty may slow decisions, but our YTD activity remains well ahead of last year and national indicators suggest stabilisation.
We believe sentiment approaching this Budget is more positive than at the same point last year, even if recent activity is quieter.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ? More choice and negotiating power can help. Base decisions on what you can comfortably afford now, not assumptions about next year's mortgage rates.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ? With buyers able to choose, price, presentation and marketing matter from day one.
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ญ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ โ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซโ.
A softer market might mean less for yours, but more negotiating power on your upwards move.
Sometimes the opportunity isn't simply your sale price โ ๐ข๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ .
โ๏ธ 020 8660 6674
๐ง [email protected]
๐ www.walterandmair.co.uk
