Overview
- The house price balance improved to -10% in January from a revised -13% in December, the least negative reading since June and slightly better than forecasts.
- New buyer enquiries rose to -15% from -21%, indicating easing weakness in demand after months of declines.
- Forward-looking sentiment strengthened, with a net 35% expecting higher sales and 43% anticipating higher prices over the next year.
- Regional trends remain uneven, with Scotland and Northern Ireland strongest and London, the South East, the South West and East Anglia still lagging.
- Recent data from Nationwide and Halifax showing monthly price gains supported the survey’s signs of a tentative improvement.