Home sales on the move

“BOTTOM-UP” RECOVERY PREDICTED FOR HOUSING MARKET IN 2026. VICKY SHAW LEARNS MORE

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THE housing market is set for a strong start in 2026, according to property experts, as home buyers make the most of falls in mortgage rates and put some of last year's uncertainties behind them.

Experts predict the recovery will be "bottom-up" rather than "top-down", with some challenges at the upper end of the market and first-time buyers remaining a driving force on the first rung of the property ladder.

The base rate was cut from 4% to 3.75% in December, bringing an early Christmas present to some mortgage holders. Around 1.8 million fixed-rate mortgages are due to expire in 2026, according to figures from UK Finance.

Last year's seesaw housing market saw buyers rushing to beat a stamp duty deadline in the initial months of the year.

Around 177,370 home sales took place across the UK in March 2025 around double the 86,810 sales recorded in March 2024 according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures.