Skip to content

What is currently happening in the UK property market?

This week’s UK Property Market Stats Show for the week ending Sunday, 3rd November 2024, features special guest, Rob Smith (boss man of Hunters & Whitegates), to discuss the property market headlines for Week 44 of 2024.

 

The main headlines:

+ Listings (new properties coming on to the market)  – 28.6k UK listings this week (week 44), an expected drop of 1.5k from last week. 8.1% higher 2024 YTD than 2023 YTD.

+ Percentage of residential sales stock being reduced (monthly): 13% of residential sales stock was reduced in the last month. Some 14% last month and long-term 5-year average 10.6%.

+ Total Gross Sales – 24k UK homes sold STC this week (Week 44); 6.9% lower than last week. Some 17% higher than the same standalone week (week 44) in 2023. Also, 7.4% higher than 2017/18/19 YTD levels and 14.8% higher than 2023 YTD levels.

Sale through rate (monthly): UK estate agents sold 16.11% of their residential property sales stock in Oct ’24. Sept ‘ 24 was 14.79%. 2024 average is 15.86% and the 7-year long term average is 17.9% per month – yet don’t forget that was only in  mid/late 20%’s in the crazy years of 20/21/22).

Sale fall-throughs – Agents lost 5.8% of their sales pipeline for the month (up from 5.6% in Sept ‘ 24). For the week 44, Sale Fall Thrus (as a % of Gross sales Agreed) increased slightly to 25.9% (up from 24.6% last week). The 7-year long=term weekly Average is 24.2% and it was 40%+ in the two months following the Truss Budget in the Autumn of 2022.

Net Sales – 17.8k this week (19.5k last week) – 17% higher than the same week 44 in 2023, 54% higher than the same week 44 in 2022 and still 17.4% higher YTD in 2024 compared to YTD 2023.

+ Percentage of homes exchanging Vs homes unsold – Of the 1,295,604 UK homes that left UK estate agents books since the 1st Jan 2024, 693,669 of them (53.54%) exchanged & completed contracts (meaning the homeowner moved and the estate agent got paid). The remaining 601,935 (46.46%) were withdrawn off the market, unsold. In essence you a flip of the coin chance of actually selling, homeowners moving and the estate agent getting paid.

+ Residential property sales stock on the market (monthly stat) : 725k at end of October (up from 724k at end of Sept). For comparison, Oct ’23 – 664k, Oct ’22 – 523k,  Oct ’21 – 425k, Oct ’20 – 681k, Oct ’19 – 652k.

+ Residential property sales sold STC pipeline (units) (monthly stat): 505k at end of October. For comparison, Oct ’23 – 401k, Oct ’22 – 483k,  Oct ’21 – 528k, Oct ’20 – 548k, Oct ’19 – 372k.

+ UK house prices – As explained in the show, the £/sqft figure foretells and predicts the Land Registry 5 months in advance with an accuracy rating of 92%. Final October figures saw a slight jump in this important metric to £346/sq.ft. For comparison – Sept’s £339/sq.ft, August’s £338/sq.ft, and July at £341/sq.ft. This means house prices have grown 1.47% in the last three months.

Local Focus this week – Putney (SW15) in London