Nearly four in ten want house prices to fall next year - but a similar proportion think property values will go up in 2017
01-01-2017
By Lee Boyce for www.Thisismoney.co.uk
Nearly four in ten This is Money readers would like to see house prices fall next year, according to a recent poll on the website.
When asked: 'Personally, what would you like to see house prices do next year?' To which, 38 per cent of the 1,508 respondents replied 'fall'.
A further 42 per cent answered rise and the rest want prices to stay the same, the survey on our 'what next for house prices in 2017' article reveals.
Split nation: Our poll shows roughly the same amount of readers personally want property prices to fall or rise
It comes as a slew of property experts predict house values next year may struggle to grow thanks to 'economic uncertainty'.
Data from Nationwide Building Society earlier in the week shows that property prices have grown 4.5 per cent in 2016, but Britain's biggest mutual is predicting much slower gains next year.
Elsewhere, when we asked This is Money readers: 'what do you think will happen to house prices in 2017?' the most popular answer by a considerable distance was 'rise 0-5 per cent' with 39 per cent of voters predicting modest growth.
Four per cent believe they will rise by more than 10 per cent while eight per cent believe they will fall by 10 per cent.
Tony from Brighton, in our comments section, said: 'A wise estate agent (yes, they do exist) once said to me that there is really only one thing that drives the housing market. Confidence.
'The buyer has to be confident that he can service the mortgage (read: keep his job), and both the buyer and seller have to be confident that they are paying and getting a fair price.
'If that confidence is low, then sales will tend to be low, as both buyers and sellers will sit on their hands, unwilling to commit.
'There are two themes which jump out of the article at you. Uncertainty and a supply shortage.
'The uncertainty will keep confidence in check and sales volumes correspondingly low.
'The supply shortage - accentuated by a population rising by 500k p.a. - will mean a rerun of 2016, with the lack of supply underpinning both prices and rents.
'My forecast: prices to rise by 2-3%, with rents rising a little faster.'
NewWays from Bedford, said: 'The amount people have put in mortgage debt is getting higher and higher, at some point something will break and then cause a massive change in house prices, we all know it has to happen at some point, remember nothing lasts too long without some form of change, especially if it is becoming ludicrous which the housing and rental markets are.'
Rosie1 from Woking, adds: 'Property prices may slow but there will be no 'crash' shortage of land and an increasing population will mean there will always be demand particularly in the South East.'