Buyers still negotiating discounts on property prices
In a revelation which will upset many householders in the UK it has been revealed that house buyers are still negotiating average discounts of 6.2% on advertised property asking prices. The situation appears to be worse in the semi-detached housing market where the average home is going for 6.6% less than the advertised price although a 6.4% reduction in the semi-detached prices and a reduction of 5.4% in terraced home values are also of concern.
This scuppers hopes for a short-term recovery in the UK housing market as many of the reports we have seen of late are based upon asking prices rather than selling prices. Many people have argued for some time that these reports give an unfair reflection, both on the upside and downside, of the UK property market at any one moment in time. However, markets are moving very quickly and it is unrealistic to expect any report to take into account potential discounts as these can vary from home to home and person-to-person.
It will be interesting to see how these developments continue in the future with increased mortgage liquidity now available and a number of investors now starting to venture away from the sidelines. Will we see a short-term bounce or a more gradual recovery in due course?
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