'Boom Times Are Over'
The property market is weakening and 'double-digit annual house price inflation is over', says Hometrack.


Tuesday, August 10 2004 The property market's weakening health has been confirmed by Hometrack's review of the housing market over the last 12 months, released today. The report highlighted a series of recent trends that all point towards an imminent downturn in the property market, including:
- The first fall in house prices since July 2003 recorded last month.
- Increasing supply, with new property listings rising by 3% in June and 5% in July.
- Diminishing demand, with new buyers falling 4% in July.
Less of a 'seller's market', illustrated by three consecutive monthly falls in the average sales price achieved as a percentage of asking price, coupled with recent decreases in numbers of sales agreed. Less activity in the market, demonstrated by a recent increase in the average time taken to sell, decreasing average viewings per sale, and a higher likelihood of agreed prices being downvalued by surveyors. John Wriglesworth, Hometrack's Housing Economist, said: 'Seldom in recent years have so many statistics, relating to the health of the housing market, all told the same story: the boom is over. The recent hike in interest rates, scaremongering speeches by the Bank of England Governor, as well as over-hyped newspaper articles have all combined to bring the housing market train to the buffers.' Hometrack
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Chelsea Flower Show 2025: What else to do in SW3 if you're coming to the world's greatest flower show
There's more to Chelsea than just the Flower Show so we've rounded up some of the best places to eat, stay and shop.
-
Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curves
Amid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.