By Laura McGuire
House prices rose by 0.4 per cent in February, marking the fourth monthly uptick in a row, a new report by Halifax has found.
Its latest house price index showed that during the month property prices grew 1.7 per cent on an annual basis, against a 2.3 per cent rise in the prior month.
The figures showed the average cost of a home in the UK is now £1,000 higher than last month.
London continues to have the highest average house price across all of the regions, at £536k.
Prices in the capital have increased 1.5 per cent and is the “first positive annual growth seen since January 2022,” the lender said.
Kim Kinnard, director at Halifax Mortgages said: “On an annual basis, house prices were 1.7 per cent higher than a year ago, slowing from 2.3 per cent in January.
However, these figures continue to suggest a relatively stable start to 2024 and align with other promising signs of increased housing activity, such as mortgage approvals.
“In fact, the average price tag of a home is now only around £1,800 off the peak seen in June 2022.”
She added: Even with growing wages and inflation falling back, raising a deposit and affording a sizeable mortgage remains challenging, especially for those looking to join the property ladder, so it remains a possibility that there could be a slowdown in the housing market this year.”
