Homes market ends year on a 'softer note' as price rises slow

DEMAND HOLDS UP WELL AMID CHANGES TO STAMP DUTY AND SUBDUED CLIMATE

- By VICKY SHAW

THE UK housing market ended 2025 on a “softer note,” with annual price growth slowing to 0.6% in December, from 1.8% in November, according to an index

Prices fell by 0.4% month-on-month typically, taking the average UK house price to £271,068 in December.

In the East Midlands, the average house price in the fourth quarter of 2025 was £238,183, up 1% from the previous year, according to Nationwide Building Society.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “Despite the softer end to the year, the word that best describes the housing market in 2025 overall is ‘resilient.