Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Property expert explains why the UK’s housing market is booming and what might happen next

Tim Bannister from Rightmove speaks to business correspondent Ben Chapman and gives his views on what’s impacting house prices

Friday 25 June 2021 08:14 EDT
Comments
Tim Bannister from Rightmove talks to business correspondent Ben Chapman
Tim Bannister from Rightmove talks to business correspondent Ben Chapman (The Independent )

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

House prices have risen rapidly since the start of the pandemic as people have sought more space and taken advantage of tax breaks on buying a home.

At the same time, households work during the pandemic have spent less money, allowing those that have still been in work to save up for a deposit.

After the property market was temporarily paused in March last year, activity surged, with the number of sales reaching a new record high.

The average sale price of a home in England jumped 10.2 per cent in a year from the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Experts have suggested that the latest data indicates some early signs the housing market may be cooling but much uncertainty remains.

However, with interest rates remaining very low, some analysts are predicting that prices are set to continue on a seemingly relentless upward march.

The situation also raises questions about how sustainable it is for property prices to rise faster than wages.

All of these factors mean there is lots to consider for anyone thinking of buying or selling a property.

Watch the full interview in the video below

Housing expert takes readers’ questions on UK property market

Tim Bannister, director of property data at Rightmove, answered readers’ questions about what is impacting the market at the moment and what might be coming further down the line.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in