Homeowners forced to cut asking prices to sell homes as 5 percent mortgage rates spark 'tipping point'
28.06.2023 - 13:09
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Homeowners looking to move are being forced to cut asking prices in a bid to sell their homes after mortgage rates have soared. According to property site Zoopla, around 42 percent OF house sellers are now having to shave more than five percent off the original asking price to achieve a sale.
It comes after the Bank of England raised interest rates to a 15-year high last week (June 22) after a majority vote of a 7-2 from members of the Monetary Policy Committee. The base rate in the UK now sits at five percent after a 0.5 percent increase.
This was automatically bad news for many homeowners coming off a fixed-term deal and those on a variable rate, as their monthly mortgage repayments were set to soar.
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Zoopla now says that more than four in 10 homeowners are having to adjust the selling price of their homes as rising mortgage rates are dampening the market.
The property website said this proportion, seen in June, is the highest it has recorded since 2018. It also revealed that around one in six sellers are having to shave more than 10 percent off the initial asking price to get a sale over the line.
Zoopla’s report said: “Our view remains that 5% mortgage rates represent a tipping point, beyond which house prices will post annual price falls with lower sales volumes.”
It continued: “The sales momentum over (the first half of 2023) is not going to be maintained into (the second half).
“Higher mortgage rates will hit buying power and squeeze more buyers out of the market, bringing a return to modest quarterly price falls.”
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According to figures from