FISCUS MORTGAGES - INFORMATION AND ADVICE

Property Hotspots

1-Sep-2004

By Alex Bannister, Nationwide Building Society's Group Economist

Following an easing during May and June, house price inflation accelerated again in July with prices rising 2.1%. This took the price of the typical property to £154,299, up 20.3% on a year earlier. July's increase outstripped our expectation that prices would rise in the 0.5-1% range for the rest of the year and appears to have been driven by continued buoyancy in the more affordable sectors and regions of the market. In particular, the regional growth pattern that emerged last quarter remains in place, with prices rising fastest in Scotland, the North and Wales. Nevertheless, the South, particularly around Greater London, is seeing an improving labour market, resulting in a modest resurgence in price growth.

”Whilst recent anecdotal and survey evidence have suggested the housing market might be starting to slow, our own house price data accords with the recent strength of retail sales and mortgage lending. It is unclear whether the slowdown is yet to translate into hard data, or whether sentiment will prove to have been overly-negative. Previous downturns in anecdotal and survey evidence have not always translated into significant downturns in price growth, especially when they have not been accompanied by deterioration in the economy - for example, in the second half of 2001 and the first half of 2003. This means that considerable uncertainty over the direction of the housing market remains.”

House prices up 2.1% during July pushing annual rise up to 20.3% Only 2 in 5 first time buyers now come from the 18-30 age group Many first-time buyers now putting down deposits of at least £30,000.