The UK property market is currently characterised by increased choice for buyers, according to figures from last week. While sellers are still actively bringing properties to market, and sales activity surpasses pre-Covid levels, the greater selection available means buyers can be more selective.
This increased choice places more pressure on asking prices. However, data indicates that approximately eight out of ten successful sellers this year have managed to sell their homes without reducing the initial asking price. This suggests that the primary factor influencing sales is often the competitiveness of the asking price.
In Week 34 of 2026, there were 33.4k new listings, slightly up from 31.8k the previous week. Year-to-date, new listings stand at 1.231 million, comparable to 2025 figures and 10% higher than the 2017-2019 average. Gross residential sales for Week 34 were 23.2k, contributing to 832k year-to-date sales, which is 5.7% higher than the pre-Covid 2017-2019 average.
August 2026 saw 97.9k sales agreed, which is lower than August 2024 (104.5k) and August 2025 (104.4k), but still comfortably ahead of August 2023 (87.6k). The average price per square foot for agreed sales in July 2026 was £345.41, marking a 1.2% increase over the last 12 months.