UK Property Market Week 25: Buyers Still Buying, But Sellers Face Tougher Competition

UK Property Market Week 25: More Homes for Sale, Yet Sales Remain Ahead of 2024

Week 25 delivered a very similar message to Week 24. The UK property market remains active and resilient, but sellers are operating in an increasingly competitive environment where realistic pricing matters more than ever.

A total of 24,135 homes sold STC last week, around 2,000 below the 10-year Week 25 average of 26.1k. This follows the 24.4k sales agreed in Week 24 and suggests that weekly sales activity has settled slightly below its long-term seasonal norm. Meanwhile, another 35,449 properties came to the market, broadly in line with the decade average of 35.3k for Week 25. With considerably more homes being listed than sold each week, the total number of properties available to buyers remains high at 746,898.

That figure is little changed from Week 24, but the longer-term comparison is striking. There were around 605k homes for sale three years ago. Today, sellers are competing against nearly 747k other properties, giving buyers substantially more choice and less reason to compromise. The pricing figures reinforce that point. Over the last month, 13.4% of properties on the market reduced their asking price, while 14.6% secured a buyer. As in Week 24, almost as many sellers are cutting their price as agreeing a sale.

However, the wider market is still performing reasonably well. So far in 2026, 620,087 homes have sold STC. That is 0.8% higher than at the same point in 2024 and ahead of the 10-year Week 25 average of approximately 605k.

The average home sold STC last week at £375k, compared with a year-to-date average of £363k. The average agreed price per square foot also rose to £353, slightly above the year-to-date average of £348 per square foot. These higher weekly figures may partly reflect the type and location of homes sold rather than a sudden rise in underlying values.

There have now been 930,716 homes listed for sale during 2026, well above the 10-year Week 25 average of 822k. That extra supply is keeping buyers firmly in control of the viewing shortlist. The market is moving, but it remains unforgiving. Only 54.8% of the homes that recently left estate agents’ books went on to sell and complete, while 45.2% left the market unsold.

For sellers, the lesson from Weeks 24 and 25 is clear. Buyers are still buying, but they have more choice, more negotiating power and less patience for homes that appear overpriced. Launching at an ambitious figure may not protect your price. It may simply make the correctly priced property nearby look like better value.

If you are a Leicester homeowner and want to know where you, your property and your potential home purchase stand in the local property market, do pick up the phone or send a message and let us have a chat.