Published: 08/07/2026 By Nick Pearce
Zoopla's latest house price index landed this week, and the headline number, 1.4% annual growth, tells only part of the story. Look closer and the picture is more interesting: sales agreed in June were running around 7% below last year, mortgage rates have started to edge down to an average of 4.8% after peaking closer to 5.9% earlier in the year, and the market is expected to ease further through the second half of 2026.None of that should worry anyone thinking about selling in Bankside or Shoreditch. It should reassure them.
A market with fewer sales agreed and prices holding broadly flat is not a market in trouble. It is a market finding its level after several volatile years. Buyers who are active right now are serious, informed and less likely to get caught up in the kind of bidding frenzy that made pricing feel almost arbitrary two or three years ago. That matters more in London than almost anywhere else, because London buyers are paying a mortgage premium the rest of the country simply doesn't face. The gap between London borrowing costs and those in, say, the north east has widened noticeably this year, and that gap shapes every conversation we have with buyers about what they can realistically offer.
For sellers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: pricing must reflect the actual market, not last year's asking prices or a neighbour's optimistic valuation three doors down. Homes that are priced honestly from day one are still moving. Homes that are priced for a market that no longer exists sit, get reduced, and end up achieving less than if they'd been priced correctly from the start. We see this play out across both our Bankside and Shoreditch patches covered, and the properties that go under offer fastest are rarely the most expensive looking. They are the ones where the seller and the agent agreed on reality before the board went up.
There's also a quieter shift worth naming. Falling mortgage rates, even modest falls, tend to bring hesitant buyers back into the market before the data fully reflects it. Anyone who has been waiting for clarity on borrowing costs before committing to a move may find the next few months a more sensible window than they expect.
Selling well in this market isn't about timing some perfect moment. It's about pricing with honesty, presenting properly, and working with someone who reads the data rather than repeats last year's headlines back to you.
Nick Pearce is founder and managing director of Circa London.
Source: Zoopla House Price Index, June 2026: https://www.zoopla.co.uk/discover/property-news/house-price-index/
