Are Homes Selling in 2026?
UK Property Market 2026: Are Homes Still Selling?
With plenty of headlines about house prices and mortgage rates, you might be wondering: are people still buying homes in 2026?
The latest Rightmove data suggests the answer is yes.
What Does the Rightmove Data Tell Us?
According to Rightmove, the number of sales agreed during the first half of 2026 was 6% lower than the same period in 2025.
However, 2025 was an unusually busy comparison period, partly due to buyers looking to complete before changes to Stamp Duty in England.
Compared with the first half of 2024, sales agreed in 2026 were level, suggesting the property market remains active despite higher borrowing costs.
Rightmove’s half-year figures also show that sales agreed were 0.3% above its long-term average.
What About House Prices?
The average asking price of a property coming onto the market was £376,191 in June 2026.
That was 0.6% lower than May and 0.5% lower than June 2025.
Buyers also have plenty of choice. Rightmove reported an average of 65 properties for sale per estate agency branch in June, including properties Under Offer and Sold STC.
Meanwhile, the average time taken to secure a buyer fell from 81 days in January to 62 days in June.
What Does This Mean for Buyers?
More properties to choose from and increased competition between sellers could create opportunities for buyers.
Mortgage rates also showed some improvement towards the end of the first half of the year, with Rightmove reporting that the average two-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 5.18% in May to 5.07% in June.
If you’re considering buying, rather than trying to predict exactly what house prices or mortgage rates will do next, it can be useful to understand how much you could borrow and what your monthly repayments could look like.
Thinking About Moving?
Whether you’re a First-Time Buyer, moving home, remortgaging or considering a Buy to Let, Root Mortgage Services can help you understand your mortgage options.
Speak to Root Mortgage Services today and find out how much you could borrow.
Sources
Rightmove House Price Index – June 2026
Rightmove House Price Index – May 2026
Rightmove H1 2026 Results
Rightmove’s sales figures refer to sales agreed rather than completed property transactions.
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