The UK Government has launched a call for evidence on ways to make the home buying process in England cheaper, faster and less stressful for all concerned.

October brought the second Friday the 13th of this year, and to mark the occasion Registers of Scotland (RoS) carried out some research to see whether the date affects people’s property buying habits at all.

The latest UK House Price Index has revealed that average house prices in the UK increased by 5.0% in the year to August 2017 (up from 4.5% in July 2017). According to the Office for National Statistics, which published the Index, the annual growth rate has slowed since mid-2016 but has remained broadly under 5% during 2017. 

Consumer confidence in the housing market doesn’t appear to have fully recovered since June’s General Election, according to new research from the Building Societies Association (BSA).

New analysis by property website Zoopla has revealed that over a third (34%) of properties on the market have had their asking prices reduced, which is an increase of 2.5% since March.