UK house prices fall in December but end the year higher - Halifax
UK house prices fell in December 2024 for the first time since March but ended the year in the black, according to data released by Halifax on Tuesday.
House prices declined 0.2% on the month following five consecutive monthly increases, and 1.2% growth in November.
On an annual basis, prices were up 3.3%, down from 4.7% growth in November and leaving the average price of a home at £297,166.
Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "The housing market was broadly steady at the start of 2024, with house price growth taking off from the summer onwards. In the latter half of the year, house prices grew in response to the falls in mortgage rates, alongside income growth, both leading to financial pressures somewhat easing for buyers.
"Impending changes to Stamp Duty thresholds have also given prospective first-time buyers even greater motivation to get on the housing ladder and bring any home-buying plans forward. Together, these elements meant mortgage demand picked up, hitting the highest level in over two years and back to levels seen pre-pandemic.
"In many areas across the country, house prices were also buoyed by demand outstripping supply, possibly further amplified by homeowners holding off putting their property on the market - perhaps in anticipation of mortgage rates reducing further."
She said that while the housing market has been supported in recent months by falling mortgage rates, income growth and the announcement on upcoming Stamp Duty policy changes, mortgage affordability will remain a challenge, especially as the Bank Rate is likely to come down more slowly than previously expected.
"However, providing employment conditions don’t deteriorate markedly from a more recent softening, buyer demand should hold up relatively well and, taking all this into account, we’re continuing to anticipate modest house price growth this year."
Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics, said: "The 0.2% m/m fall in the Halifax house price index in December is at odds with the 0.7% m/m rise in the Nationwide measure and suggests that recent rises in mortgage rates may have started to weigh on the housing market at the end of last year a bit more than previously thought.
"That said, our view that mortgage rates will fall further than most expect to 4.00% explains why we still think house prices will rise by a healthy 3.5% in 2025 compared to the consensus forecast of 2.5-3.0%."