What the Summer Property Market Is Telling Us About Autumn 2026
Adapted from our August newsletter
Summer can be a difficult time to read the property market.
Families go away, house hunting competes with holidays and good weather, and some of the most reliable housing statistics arrive several weeks after the activity they measure.
But as September approaches, we now have enough evidence to get a clearer picture of what has been happening.
And for anyone thinking about buying or selling a home this autumn, there are some important lessons.
The short version?
Buyers have plenty of choice. Sellers need to be realistic. The market is still moving, but price and affordability matter more than ever.
Buyers have more homes to choose from
One of the clearest themes of 2026 has been the amount of property available for sale.
Propertymark’s latest Housing Insight Report also points to a well-supplied sales market, with member branches reporting a steady flow of available homes and new instructions.
Rightmove says the number of homes on the market is now at a 12-year high for this time of year.
Its figures show an average of 65 properties for sale per estate agent in July, compared with 57 in February.
Propertymark’s report also found an average of 42 homes for sale per member branch, with another 9.5 properties coming onto the market during the month.
At the same time, the average branch registered 55 new prospective buyers and recorded 2.1 viewings for each available property.
That matters because buyers with more choice are generally less likely to feel they must make an immediate decision simply because another purchaser is waiting behind them.
For sellers, the opposite applies.
When your home is competing with dozens of others, standing out becomes considerably more important.
Sellers are discovering the importance of getting the price right
The latest asking-price figures provide a fairly clear indication of where the balance of power currently lies.
Rightmove reported that the average asking price of a newly listed property fell by 2% in August, taking the national average to £364,999.
That was the largest August fall for eight years.
Average asking prices were also 1% lower than they were a year earlier.
Some of that movement is seasonal. Asking prices often soften during the summer months.
But this year’s decline was larger than usual and comes at a time when buyers have an unusually wide choice of homes.
Propertymark’s June figures tell a similar story from another angle. 84% of member agents reported properties selling for less than their asking price.
For anyone preparing to sell this autumn, there is an important lesson here.
An ambitious asking price might feel like a good place from which to negotiate, but if it prevents buyers from viewing the property in the first place, it can work against you.
Rightmove has also found that nearly three-quarters of homes that successfully completed during 2026 had sold without first requiring a reduction in their asking price.
In other words, there is something to be said for getting the price right at the beginning rather than starting high and chasing the market later.
That does not mean accepting less than your property is worth.
It means looking carefully at comparable properties, recent local sales, competing listings and what buyers are actually prepared and able to pay.
But house prices have not collapsed
This is where property statistics need a little explanation.
You may see one headline saying asking prices are falling and another saying house prices are still rising.
Both can be true.
Rightmove measures the price sellers are asking for newly listed properties.
The Office for National Statistics’ UK House Price Index looks at completed property transactions, which naturally appear later.
To view the full article in our newsletter, please click here.
Whether you are a first-time buyer looking to move house or remortgage, you need to take professional advice. This is where Russell Green can help.
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