According to the latest House Price Index for August, house prices are steadily rising against the backdrop of the Coronovirus pandemic.

UK average house prices increased by 2.5% during the year to August, up from 2.1% in July. On a monthly basis, this was a rise of 0.7 per cent, and an improvement on the 0.3 per cent monthly increase seen in August 2019.

According to the latest Rightmove House Price Index, the national average of a property coming to market is 1.1% higher than the previous month and 5.5% higher in September than a year ago with prices predicted to rise by 7% by December. It also reported that the average time to sell a property was 31 days in Scotland and 50 days across the UK and the number of active buyers is 66% higher than a year ago.

These figures show that prices are rising steadily due to a return to the market after the housing market ground to a halt in April. Following the reopening late June, the level of activity has been nothing short of exceptional.

ONS said house price growth had generally slowed down since 2016 but noted activity seemed to pick up again this year once the property market reopened in May.

Not only did we see a backlog of people who were in the early stages of a move but following lockdown there has been a re-evaluation of buyers’ priorities as many people are now working home full or part time and require additional inside space. With lockdown restrictions in place, the only part of our homes we can currently socialize in is our gardens and so this has led to a flurry of interest in three and four bedroom homes with gardens and less demand for apartments with no outside space.

There has also been a shortage of suitable housing stock coming on to the market leading to greater demand which drives up prices, combined with the effect of the stamp duty holiday for properties up to the value of £250,000.

It is predicted that September will see an even sharper upswing once the figures are all in and that the impact of the stamp duty will start to be seen.

Mortgage rates are at an all time low which means there are some great mortgage deals available at present – further driving people to consider a house move.

Talk to us at The Mortgage Hub if you would like to find out about available mortgage deals suitable for your circumstances.