First-time housebuyers expected to lift market

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.

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Experts predicted 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.