UK property prices falling as owners scramble to sell before spending cuts bite, survey suggests

 
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors September UK Housing Market survey published today (Tuesday October 12) dropped to -36 in the three months to September from -32 in the three months to August.
 
RICS said 44% of its members saw prices fall, only 6% reported prices rising and 59% said prices were stable. The figures back up other recent figures that show average prices falling. Mortgage lender Halifax reported the sharpest drop in house prices on record in September, while rival lender Nationwide has reported price falls in two of the last three months.
 
But there is a more positive picture in Scotland where10% more Scottish chartered surveyors reported a rise rather than a fall in house prices in September, compared with 3% in August, the 15th consecutive month of positive price net balance readings in the market.
 
‘The market is showing signs of a recovery after a sluggish summer period. Traditional bungalows in suburban locations remain in fair demand,’ said Craig Henderson of Graham & Sibbald chartered surveyors in Glasgow.
 
Graeme Hartley, director, RICS Scotland, said that demand for property in Scotland rose sharply in the past month and with new instructions rising at a slower rate, surveyors have reported a rise in price expectations.
   
But in the rest of the country a fresh influx of property to the market combined with a lack of buyers remains the key problem affecting the sector, according to RICS spokesperson Ian Perry.
 
‘The increase appears to come as homeowners test the market ahead of further public spending cuts, or try to sell before a possible deterioration in the economy,’ he said.
 
Regionally, the North saw the biggest leap in new instructions, while London, the South West and Yorkshire and The Humber also reported large increases in seller activity.
 
Meanwhile, demand for property remains subdued, as buyers continue to struggle to find mortgage finance, or wait to see what will happen to the market over the coming months. The net balance for new buyer enquiries remained negative at -2, however, this is up from -17 the month before.   
 
‘First time buyers are in particularly short supply as the high deposits required by lenders prevent them from taking their first steps on the property ladder,’ said Perry.
 
Increasing supply means that prices are likely to keep falling. The survey showed surveyors were braced for further losses. The price expectations balance slipped to -41 from -38, a fourth consecutive month of decline.
 
‘Without sufficient demand property prices continue to slip back. However, many areas are reporting a correction rather than dramatic falls in prices and vendors who are prepared to be realistic with pricing are still able to achieve a sale. It’s very much a buyers market at the moment,’ added Perry.