Rightmove has updated its forecast for the rest of 2026.
At the beginning of the year, it predicted that asking prices could rise by around 2%. It is now forecasting that prices could finish the year anywhere between 0% and 2% lower.
But for us, the biggest takeaway isn’t whether prices move up or down by a couple of percent.
It’s just how price-sensitive the market has become.
There are still buyers out there. In fact, buyer demand has recently started to increase again. The issue is that buyers have plenty of choice, and they are comparing properties very carefully before deciding which ones to view.
That means getting your asking price right from day one is incredibly important.
A common strategy is to “try a higher price and see what happens.”
Unfortunately, in the current market, that can actually work against you.
Your property gets the most attention when it first launches. If buyers immediately feel it is overpriced, they scroll past it. After several weeks on the market, people then start asking:
“Why hasn’t this sold?”
You can reduce the price later, but by then you’ve potentially lost that initial launch momentum and the property has developed a history online.
Rightmove’s research this year has shown that properties which eventually need a price reduction can take significantly longer to sell than those priced correctly from the beginning.
That’s why our advice to sellers is simple:
Don’t choose the agent who gives you the highest valuation. Choose the agent who can demonstrate where your property genuinely sits in the market.
The aim shouldn’t be to get your property on the market.
The aim is to get it sold.
Thinking of selling in Weston-super-Mare or the surrounding area?
Speak to Ashcombe Estate Agents for an honest, evidence-based valuation and a strategy designed to get your property moving.
