Following a drop in new seller asking prices and the traditional slow down of December, it’s a new year and both Rightmove and Zoopla are predicting an encouraging 2026. Read more about the latest property market trends nationally and in our regions of Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire with our new house price report.
In Brief
Nationally the market has seen –
- Average new seller asking prices fell by 1.8% (-£6,695) in December to £358,138.¹
- This larger than usual December drop means that prices are 0.6% (-£2,059) lower at the end of 2025 than in 2024.¹
- The uncertainty caused by rumours of property tax rises in November’s Budget (from as early as August) contributed to more subdued activity and pricing in the second half of the year. This resulted in –
- The number of new sellers coming to market in the first half of 2025 was 9% ahead of the first half of 2024, which reversed to 4% below 2024 across the second half of this year.¹
- Buyer demand was 3% ahead of 2024 across the first half of the year, but 6% behind in the second half.¹
- However, Rightmove says that it has been a more positive year overall for sales, with the number of sales agreed 3% higher than in 2024.¹
- Improved buyer affordability and plenty of choice for buyers suggests a 2026 market more like the encouraging first half of 2025 rather than the second half, with Rightmove predicting that new seller asking prices will rise by 2%.¹
- The average two-year fixed rate is now 4.33% compared to 5.08% last year.¹
- Zoopla predicts that the market will remain stable in 2026, with prices predicted to rise by 1.5% across roughly 1.18 million sales².
- 1.2 million homes were sold in 2025, the highest number of sales since 2022².
- Zoopla says that first-time buyers were the powerhouse of the 2025 market, accounting for 39% of all home purchases².
- While more people are buying, house price growth has cooled to 1.1%, down from the 1.9% growth seen in 2024².
- The gap between regions is set to continue, with prices generally rising faster in the North of England than in the South².
In terms of the Welsh property market –
- The average house price in Wales is now £255,789, down 2.1% over the last month, and down 1% year on year¹.
- The average number of days for a Welsh property to find a buyer has risen to 77¹.
¹Source – Rightmove
²Source – Zoopla
National Overview
Here is our monthly overview of the trends that Rightmove and Zoopla – two of the biggest names in the property market – have been seeing over the last month.
Rightmove’s Insights –
According to Rightmove the first half of the year saw lower price growth, which supported buyer affordability and drove activity. The second half of 2025 faced uncertainty caused by the rumours of property tax changes in November’s Budget. This had an impact on pricing and activity according to Rightmove, with sellers having to work hard to entice nervous buyers.
However, Rightmove said that the market will benefit from the Boxing Day Bounce as many buyers look to begin or resume their moving plans after the Christmas festivities. Just this week it published figures showing that visitors to its website almost doubled (+93%) on Boxing Day compared to Christmas Day (the quietest time), and that compares to a bounce of 87% last year.
It says that with market conditions supporting higher levels of activity and hopefully a more certain economic environment, it forecasts a better year for price growth and a strong rebound in activity. It adds that with buyer choice still high sellers will have to continue to get their pricing right to attract attention, while ensuring their property is presented as well as possible.
Zoopla’s Insights –
Zoopla says that it has been a 3-year high for home moves – 1.2 million homes were sold in 2025, the highest number of sales since 2022. This is largely due to better conditions for buyers, with steady mortgage rates and rising wages.
It also highlights that house price growth is slowing down. It says that while more people are buying, house price growth has actually cooled to 1.1% – down from the 1.9% growth reported in 2024.
It says that first time buyers were the powerhouse of the 2025 housing market, leading the way and accounting for 39% of all home purchases over the year. Demand to move home continues to be high, however it says that actual sales are most dependent on affordability.
In terms of price rises, the north-south divide has also widened according to Zoopla and that is set to continue, with prices generally rising faster in the North of England than in the South.
Looking ahead to 2026 it believes that the market will remain stable, with prices predicted to rise by 1.5% across roughly 1.18 million sales.
Regional Insight from Cardigan Bay Properties
We specialise in the property market in West Wales and monitor developments here throughout the year to give you the best, most accurate advice. We cover the key regions of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, and this month Tania Dutnell, one of our founders, outlines the key trends we’ve seen through November and December 2025. If you’d like to find out more please get in touch.
According to our latest agents report from Zoopla, property prices in our areas have increased by 2.3% over the last year, compared to the national average of 1.1% up over the last year.
For Cardigan Bay Properties the market was unseasonably busy in the run up to Christmas. This was largely due to the November Budget being confirmed, which removed the uncertainty surrounding property tax changes and rumours around a Land Transaction Tax on properties over £500,000. In the end this didn’t happen and we saw interest in these higher end properties increase significantly.
We’ve seen interest continuing throughout the Christmas break and now into January, with an increasing number of properties coming onto the market, as well as strong demand for viewings and new offers being made.
In terms of our figures through December, the number of new property instructions we took on more than doubled, while the number of viewings we held increased by 45% and the number of valuations we carried out increased by 160% on the same time last year.
The Boxing Day Bounce was also very real for us in West Wales, with 19 viewings booked in between 26 December and 5 January, as well as six offers received and four sales agreed.
In short, it has been a very positive start to the year and we are expecting demand to be strong throughout the year.
Your Regional Insights
Here we give you an overview of the latest House Price Index results for our key regions – Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. Please note that each month these figures are two to three months behind due to the Land Registry taking longer to register new sales, so this report includes sales up to the end of October 2025.
To help you follow the trends for these regions, the graphs below show figures from July 2019 (pre-Covid pandemic) to October 2025.
CEREDIGION
The average property price in Ceredigion fell from £217,684 in September 2025 to £215,748 in October 2025, reflecting the general nervousness in the market as rumours around the Budget circulated. All property types saw a drop in their average prices.
In terms of the yearly percentage change, October saw an 11.5% drop – this followed an 8.7% drop in September. The biggest annual drops were for flats – down 14.20% – followed by detached houses (down 12%), terraced properties (down 11.10%) and then semi-detached properties (down 10.20%).
The monthly percentage change shows a smaller drop – down 0.9% overall, with all properties experiencing a small fall over the last month.
View the full Ceredigion report.
PEMBROKESHIRE
The story in Pembrokeshire is different, with the average property price increasing slightly to £217,320 – up from £217,005 in September. All property types, except for flats, have seen a small rise. Prices of flats in the area fell very slightly – from £115,702 in September to £115,670 in October.
Looking at the yearly percentage change and Pembrokeshire saw a 1.7% drop in average property prices.The biggest drop was seen for flats (down 5.7%); detached properties (down 2.1%) and then terraced properties (down 1.6%), while semi-detached properties actually saw a small 0.10% increase.
The monthly percentage change in the region is actually up 0.10%, with all property types except flats showing a small increase – the biggest increase was seen for semi-detached homes, which were up 0.30%.
View the full Pembrokeshire report.
CARMARTHENSHIRE
Carmarthenshire has again had a strong month, with the average property price increasing to £194,117 in October – up from £192,226 in September. All of the different property types saw an increase in their average price.
Looking at the yearly percentage change, property prices in the region are up on average by 2%, with semi-detached homes seeing the biggest increase over the year – up 3.3%, followed by terraced properties – up 1.9% and detached properties – up 1%. Flats however were down 2.6%.
The monthly change is also positive with prices up 1% in October, following a 1.5% increase in September. All property types saw a small increase over the month.
View the full Carmarthenshire report.
CURRENT UK HOUSE PRICE INDEX
* As of October 2025, the average house price in the UK is £269,862, and the index stands at 103.4. Property prices have fallen by 0.1% compared to the previous month, and risen by 1.7% compared to the previous year.
*Details provided by the Land Registry. For more information on the House Price Index please CLICK HERE
Please note that the stats provided by the UK House Price Index are live and constantly evolving.