Autumn usually brings a burst of activity as families settle into the new school term and movers who paused over the holidays return with fresh intent, and this year is no exception.
Sellers are finding that buyers are still very much out there, though they are considerably choosier than they were a few years ago and far less willing to stretch on price.
Meanwhile growth in the rental market continues upwards, largely untroubled by the hesitancy on the sales side. Whether you are selling, buying or letting this autumn, the story is one of choice, patience and pricing with your eyes wide open.
Average asking prices rose by 0.7% this month to £367,440, an increase that outpaces the ten-year September average of 0.5%.* However, year-on-year the prices are 0.8% down.
The reason is straightforwardly that the number of homes available to buy sits at a 12-year high while buyer enquiries are 9% below this time last year.* This is resulting in more homes, fewer buyers, and a market that rewards realism.
National averages hide a market that is pulling in two directions. Every region from the Midlands northwards is showing annual asking price growth, led by Scotland at 4.2% and the North East at 2.7%. While every southern region except for Wales is in negative territory, with London down 2.6% and the South East down 1.8%.*
For sellers, this means national commentary is a poor guide to your own decision and understanding your local market is crucial. For buyers, the softest prices and the longest-listed homes sit in the South and in London, which is precisely where your negotiating position is strongest.
Competition for attention is the defining feature of this market. With agreed sales also running 9% down on the year and average stock per agent at 65 properties,* your home is one of many a buyer will scroll past. Only 61% of homes that come to market now find a buyer, compared with 74% in 2021.*
Your local market matters enormously here. In Scotland, 91% of homes successfully sell, and homes there find a buyer in an average of 33 days. In London the figure falls to 42%, with the North West at 71% and the South East at 56%.* A pricing strategy that works in Edinburgh will not work in Ealing.
The encouraging news is that getting it right first time pays. Of the homes that have sold so far this year, 74% were priced correctly from the outset and never needed a reduction.* Nationally, homes are taking around 64 days to find a buyer, with a further 150 days to complete, so a move begun now is realistically a seven-month process.* Price sensibly at the start and you save yourself months at the end.
You have more choice than at almost any point in the past decade, and less competition for it. New listings are 3% down year on year yet total availability remains at that 12-year peak, which means the homes already on the market have been sitting there, and their owners know it.*
Affordability is the counterweight. The average two-year fixed rate has climbed to 5.29%, up from 5.09% last month, adding roughly £180 to a typical new monthly mortgage payment.*
Where you are looking will shape what you pay, with first-time buyer properties averaging £225,199, which is down 0.9% annually. If you can absorb the borrowing costs, your negotiating position is a strong one.
Every buyer who steps back from a purchase becomes a tenant for longer, and the rental figures reflect it.
Average UK rents reached a record £1,387 in September, a 0.4% monthly rise and the seventh consecutive month of growth, up 3.3% on the year.^ Outside London, rents average £1,176 - 3.1% higher than a year earlier.^
Growth is broad rather than concentrated. Rents are rising annually in every UK region with the single exception of Wales, led by the South West at 5.4% and Greater London at 3.3%, where the average has passed its previous October 2025 peak to reach £2,272.^
The supply outlook strengthens the case further. Just 6,815 new housebuilders were established in the first seven months of 2026, a 34% fall since 2022, while those closing have risen by 21% over the same period.**
Fewer new homes being built today means sustained pressure on rental stock tomorrow. For investors buying now, a wide choice of sales stock and a high tenant demand rental market is a useful combination.
Autumn has arrived with prices edging up, choice at its widest in over a decade and rental demand holding firm.
It is a fair assessment to see this as modest recovery rather than a major turning point.* Whichever side of the market you are on, the advantage this autumn belongs to those who price realistically, prepare early and take expert local advice.
