How Will Brexit Affect House Prices In The UK?

As the UK passes the original deadline for Brexit, many industries continue to be affected by the ongoing confusion regarding the state of the markets if the country leaves the European Union. But how will Brexit affect house prices in the UK?

How does Brexit affect the property market?

The property market is heavily tied-in with the state of consumer confidence, which can be observed through historical data gathered during the recessions over the last 40 years. In the most recent recession over a decade ago, average sold house prices across the country fell by 20 per cent over 16 months, while house purchase transactions fell from 1.65 million per year, to 730,000 in 2009.

For many analysts, this recession – or the Financial Crisis as it became known – was the worst economic downturn for the UK since the days of the Great Depression. However, housing values were propped-up in the years following by wealthy foreign investors taking advantage of cheap property in the capital.

Unfortunately, in the time since, the London property bubble has started to burst as more and more companies have moved their headquarters to the EU mainland to avoid trading issues if Brexit goes ahead. It is, therefore, more likely that the housing market will suffer a decline greater than that of the Financial Crisis in the event of a negotiated deal with Brussels, or no deal at all.

Will Brexit cause house prices to crash?

Large numbers of property experts believe that the property market, along with many commercial businesses will be the first to experience a huge downtown as the government attempts to collaborate with other nations in an attempt to secure trade deals.

As retail and service providing businesses will lose money due to increased trade tariffs, it is more than likely that they will freeze pay rises, lay off staff and close the number of outlets from which they operate. This is likely to lead to a higher number of people being out of work or earning less than expected, so the rate of consumer spending is also likely to drop – and this includes large purchases such as houses.

What impact will Brexit have on property prices?

Many homeowners have situations arise that requires them to sell their house regardless of the market condition due to starting a new career, or simply due to ill health. But if the demand for houses drops, then those who are looking to sell their house fast will have to accept much lower offers if they wish to complete the transaction. If this occurs en-masse, then it is very likely that house prices will crash.

While it is impossible to calculate the fall in house prices in the event of a deal due to Theresa May’s inability to reach a consensus with the EU’s negotiators, banks believe that if we leave the EU without a deal then they would expect to see a fall of 30%, placing large swathes of the population into negative equity, quite possibly leading to another recession even worse than the Financial Crisis.

If you’re worried about the effects of Brexit on your house sale, why not ask National Homebuyers for advice, as we buy any house. Call 08000 443 911 or request a call back to find out how much you could get for your property.