Housing supply and demand both up

In December there were 304 house hunters registered per estate agent branch.

Housing supply and demand both up

Available properties to buy and the number of house hunters per branch both increased in December 2018,NAEA Propertymark’s December Housing Report has revealed.

The number of properties reached the highest level for December since 2014, with supply of housing per branch increasing by 20% from 35 in November to 42 in December 2018.

In December there were 304 house hunters registered per estate agent branch, an increase of 8% from November and 13% from December 2017.

Mark Hayward, chief executive, NAEA Propertymark, said: “This month’s findings prove that despite the current political climate, people still want to move.

“There is movement in the market with demand from house hunters up 13% year-on-year, and the supply of available properties also rising.

“Although the number of sales agreed hit a 12-month low, this is something we always see in December, with Christmas festivities typically taking priority over any plans to buy or sell.

“While many are adopting a ‘wait and see’ strategy until there’s further clarity over what Brexit might mean for the market, there is choice for those who want to buy now, and there are people on the market looking for new homes.”