New property listings and sales still up, but down year-on-year in England

Despite fears earlier in the year about how the property market would perform against a backdrop of political uncertainty and taxation changes, new data has shown that as of the end of September, there has been a real climb in activity.

Both sales and listings numbers across England have increased in the last few months, according to data from Agency Express, which cited a real spike in activity in August as the catalyst for growth across the market.

According to the data published, August saw some fantastic climbs in activity levels and sales, and it said that this helped to push on the market throughout September. In September, figures show an increase of some 3.5 per cent in property listings, as well as a climb of some 2.8 per cent in terms of property sales.

However, while activity is picking up, it’s also important to note that on an annual basis, the figures indicate that activity is still down. When compared to the same month in 2015, Agency Express said, there has been a drop of 4.5 per cent in terms of listings and 6.9 per cent in property sales.

For September, the best figures were seen in the north-east, where there was a surprising rise in activity throughout the late summer months, while there was also an impressive surge in activity across London.

Overall, across England, eight of the 12 recorded regions experienced rises in both listings and sales during the month of September, which showed just how well the market has recovered from the problems it was presented with earlier in the year.

Stephen Watson, managing director of Agency Express, said: “The month-on-month figures for September are robust, but in contrast to those recorded 12 months previous we have witnessed less growth. As we now move in to the tail end of the year where further seasonal adjustments are expected, it will be interesting to see how the market performs in comparison.”