Press & media coverage

Research by London lettings and estate agent Benham and Reeves analysed current for-sale listings across England, assessing the average asking price of homes based on the number of photographs used in their online advertising listing.

Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented: “The property market has bounced back fighting fit following the festive break, with the reduction in house prices seen during December giving way to positive growth in 2026. This suggests that the nation’s homebuyers and sellers have wasted no time in putting their plans into motion, driven by improving affordability and the recent boost of a base rate cut."

Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves: “The property market has bounced back fighting fit following the festive break, with the reduction in house prices seen during December giving way to positive growth in 2026. This suggests that the nation’s homebuyers and sellers have wasted no time in putting their plans into motion, driven by improving affordability and the recent boost of a base rate cut. It’s already shaping up to be a far stronger year for the market and one that should see a reduction in selling times, improvements to the prices being achieved and the overall volume of transactions taking place.”

Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented: “The property market has bounced back fighting fit following the festive break, with the reduction in house prices seen during December giving way to positive growth in 2026.

“2025 was a steady but subdued year for the property market and, as a result, many sellers will have experienced little to no buyer interest, particularly across the more inflated regions of the South and London,” explained Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves.

Analysis from Benham and Reeves found that homes listed for sale with four photos or fewer were priced £80,000 lower on average than properties with five or more images.

Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves, says good marketing has grown all the more important, as the sales market in particular has shifted to a buyer-led dynamic with an over supply of stock over the last year or so.

Research by London agency Benham and Reeves has revealed that the London borough of Tower Hamlets has seen by far the largest increase in the number of homes owned by Chinese foreign nationals since 2020.

A prominent agency says that while a third of homes currently for sale across England have cut asking prices, new discounts are getting rarer. Benham and Reeves says 37% of the 337,071 homes currently listed for sale have had their asking price cut.

“2025 was a steady but subdued year for the property market and, as a result, many sellers will have experienced little to no buyer interest, particularly across the more inflated regions of the South and London,” agrees Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves.