The UK property market remains robust even throughout economic uncertainty, and overseas investors are likely to continue to view it as a stable long-term investment choice.
Recently, different house price indices have revealed slightly varying pictures of the UK housing market. The Benham and Reeves Property Market Index Review is based on figures from four of the top house price indices covering the UK.
It looks at where the average house price sits after taking into account homebuyer house prices from Nationwide and Halifax, sold prices from the UK House Price Index and seller expectation from the Rightmove House Price Index.
Calculating the geometric mean of all four data sets, the average UK house price came in at £307,191 for the second quarter of 2023. This is a 1% increase compared to the first quarter of the year and a 0.4% annual rise.
Stabilising house prices
Despite numerous news headlines claiming house prices are cooling, there are many figures showing the UK property market has been largely unmoved and remarkably resilient throughout recent economic challenges.
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented: “The fact that national sold prices have increased in the past quarter should also instil confidence in sellers by showing that the house price crash predicted by many experts following the disastrous mini-budget simply isn’t happening and, from where we are now, is unlikely to happen in the future.
“We predict that buyers will continue to demonstrate a reluctance to overstretch their budgets and borrow too much, but that the resilient health of the market – when many said it would crash – means this is unlikely to have any major mid or long-term impact on house prices.”
UK property market remaining robust
Over the decades, the UK property market has remained robust through significant economic ups and downs. The resilience of the sector has continued through Brexit, the pandemic and rising inflation rates.
This helps property investors who hold onto their assets for a period of time to secure capital gains. And this has given many people, particularly overseas investors, ongoing confidence in the UK property market.
Additionally, for those who opt to rent out their investments, the private rented sector is seeing soaring demand, which can provide strong yields – particularly in certain hotspots. There are plenty of areas across the nation that are expected to thrive over the coming years.
This has meant UK property continues to be viewed as a potentially lucrative investment over the long-term and is a way for some overseas investors to diversify their property portfolio as well.
The prominence of US overseas investors
For many years, US investors have been among the most prominent overseas investors in the UK, and this trend has been boosted even further recently. The UK property market continues to be viewed as stable and reliable.
This is happening as investors are seeing a market that is stabilising rather than falling, and UK property has long been viewed as a secure option with long-term appeal.
On top of that, the favourable dollar-to-pound exchange rate is providing relative price cuts for overseas investors from the US. This is providing an opportunity to maximise their budgets with up to double digit discounts, allowing US investors to achieve even better returns compared with buying property domestically.
In terms of finding the ideal UK investment property for your circumstances and preferences, many US investors opt to work with an agent or property investment specialist, as this is similar to the way US property is sourced by buyers – through a realtor. They will have the local knowledge to help the investor find the best option for them.
With many years of experience in working with overseas buyers, BuyAssociation is a property investment consultancy specialising in helping investors find their next investment opportunity in the UK. Get in touch with our team for more information.
