In what may be a sign that the housing market is starting to strengthen, home owners are now feeling less pressure to drop their asking prices than at any time since August 2010.
The research from property website Zoopla shows that 32.8% of properties currently for sale have had their asking price reduced at least once, down from 36.9% three months ago and 40.4% one year ago.
However, the average price reduction on those properties that have been discounted is up to its highest level in two years, now standing £20,612, compared to £18,993 three months ago.
The research also highlights different parts of the country where either a larger proportion of sellers than average have been forced to reduce prices or the reductions have been greater than average, often as a result of multiple price reductions.
The areas with the highest proportion of properties that have seen their asking prices slashed include Wakefield at 50.4%, Chesterfield at 42.5% and Barnsley at 42.2%.
And the biggest percentage drops from original asking prices are currently to be found in Romford at 10.3%, Wakefield at 8.9% and Newcastle upon Tyne and Liverpool, both at 8.8%.
At the other end of the scale, Edinburgh, Poole, Telford, Reading and Wolverhampton top the list of places with the smallest asking price discounts on offer currently.
‘The proportion of properties that have seen their price reduced and the average amount of the discount provides good insight into the strength of the local market. With the proportion of discounted properties nationally at a two year low, this would indicate that sellers are feeling more confident than they have for some time,’ said Lawrence Hall of Zoopla.
‘But there are places where the market clearly remains weak, such as Wakefield, where over half the properties on the market have been reduced in price at least once. Zoopla has a unique feature that allows users to sort their search results by properties that have been most reduced in price, useful for those buyers looking to snap up a bargain,’ he added.
