The UK property market is still moving strongly, but sellers are facing more competition than at any point in recent years.
34,564 new homes came to market last week, pushing total stock to 731,910 homes for sale across the UK. That is up significantly from 579k just three years ago. Buyers now have serious choice, and that is making pricing strategy more important than ever.
Yet demand remains resilient.
22,468 homes sold STC last week, slightly of the long term Week 18 average of 25.1k (yet it was a Bank Holiday, so that would explain the drop). Year to date, sales agreed are running 2.8% ahead of 2024 levels, with 444,451 homes sold STC so far this year.
So the issue is not lack of buyers. The issue is that buyers have become selective.
13.1% of homes reduced their asking price in the last month, while only 14.6% of homes on the market found a buyer. At the same time, just 53.9% of homes leaving estate agents’ books in April actually sold and completed.
That is the reality of the 2026 property market.
There is demand.
There are buyers.
But there is very little room for overpricing or weak marketing.
The homes that stand out and are priced correctly are selling.
The rest are simply increasing the competition for everyone else.