Asking Prices of Melton Mowbray Property up 25% since December

I had an interesting question the other day from a homeowner in Thorpe Arnold who asked me the difference between asking prices and values and why it mattered. When it comes to selling property, there must be agreement between the purchaser (buyer) and seller (vendor) for a property sale to take place. The value a buyer applies to a property can massively differ from the value a seller or mortgage company places upon it. The seller, the buyer and the mortgage company must find an agreeable value to assign to a property so the sale can proceed.

Asking prices are important as they are one of the four key matters a potential buyer will judge your property on (the others being location, bedrooms and type). Price yourself too high and you will put off buyers. So let’s take a look at the Melton Mowbray numbers.

Over the last 12 months asking prices (i.e. the price advertised in the paper and on Rightmove) in Melton Mowbray have increased by 35%, taking the average asking price in Melton Mowbray to £274,400 (up from £202,900 twelve months ago).

Interestingly though, when we look at, say semi-detached and terraced property, a slightly different picture appears. Twelve months ago, the average asking price for a semi-detached house in Melton Mowbray was £155,600 and today its £174,200 (a rise of 12%); whilst over the same 12-month period, the average asking price of a terraced property was £120,200 a year ago, and today its £146,200 (a rise of 22%).

In December 2015, there were 143 on the market in Melton Mowbray today there are 136 properties on the market (down 5%). This will mean homeowners looking to sell will need to be conscious of how their property compares against others on the Melton Mowbray property market. The Melton Mowbray property market still has substantial momentum and sufficient demand remains to provoke more modest asking price rises. This noteworthy decrease in supply since Christmas is currently providing less choice for buyers.

… And here is the second point to make. Asking prices are one thing, but what a property sells for (i.e. value) is a completely different matter. These are the average prices achieved (i.e. what they sold for or the average value) for property in Melton Mowbray over the last 12 months...

·         Overall Average          £212,500

·         Semi-detached            £167,900

·         Terraced                     £141,700

You can quite clearly see, there is a difference between what people are asking for property and what it is selling for. The underlying fundamentals of low interest mortgages and tight supply remain prevalent in the Melton Mowbray property market however, the number one lesson has to be this ... if you want to sell, be realistic with your pricing.