Asking prices hit all-time high

After its busiest month on record, Rightmove has reported the highest ever asking prices, driven by increasing demand and dwindling supply.
Rightmove has reported the average asking price for a property has now hit £286,133, a new all-time high.
The property portal has put the rise down to increasing demand and a slump in properties being put up for sale, which has only made the property shortage in many areas of the country worse.
Its effects across the country
Unsurprisingly, the South has been hit the hardest by price rises.
Property being put on the market in the South is up by an average of nearly £85,000 (+27.5%) since the last General Election in May 2010.
It’s most evident in London, which has seen an increase of £195,420 (+49%) in asking prices in the past five years. The South East has also been having affordability issues with new seller prices up by £62,105 (+20%).
However, the North has seen prices rise by just £6,374 (+3.7%), meaning that it’s falling behind the rate of inflation.
As a whole, the UK has seen an increase of almost 5% in asking prices since this time last year and a substantial 1.6% increase in the past month.
Here’s how asking prices have fluctuated over the past 12 months.
Month |
Asking price change |
April 2014 |
2.2% |
May 2014 |
2.1% |
June 2014 |
1% |
July 2014 |
-0.6% |
August 2014 |
-2% |
September 2014 |
0.9% |
October 2014 |
1.4% |
November 2014 |
-1.9% |
December 2014 |
-2.2% |
January 2015 |
1.4% |
February 2015 |
2.1% |
March 2015 |
1% |
April 2015 |
1.6% |
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The property forecast
Leading political parties have prioritised housing in their manifestos in the run-up to the General Election, so whoever wins will likely have a significant impact on the housing market.
For example, the Conservatives announced last week that they would extend the Right to Buy scheme if they get re-elected. The news has been met with a heavy dose of criticism.
For more read General Election: what your vote means for your money.
Cut the cost of your mortgage with a new deal via the loveMONEY mortgage centre
More on housing:
Home insurance for the over 50s
Estate agents ‘deliberately overpricing properties’
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Comments
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Can't see the point. Only selling prices are significant. My study shows selling is significantly less than asking prices. Mind you, prices are way above true value. The country has gone mad. We have had shocking management for the last 25 years. Working people should be able to buy a house, and many cannot at present. When capitalism kicks back in, prices are going to plummet. I sit here shaking my had in disbelief.
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I think the clue is in the title 'Asking prices' have increased. Lets wait and see whether that translates to an increase in the Sale Price. I think this is a potentially a blip as the number of people wanting to move has been suppressed by economic conditions and mortgage regulations, will be expecting the summer to show this was a false dawn, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a fall in sale prices for the rest of 2015/16 despite very low interest rates.
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20 April 2015