Has there ever been a better time for Hitchin home sellers?

The Hitchin property market, for people looking to sell, is at its sturdiest for at least the last five years with home buyers jumping onto the Hitchin property ladder with abandon.

Hitchin house prices are anticipated to rise throughout 2021 after the Stamp Duty cut (and subsequent extension until the summer/autumn) and the newly revealed 95% mortgages for Hitchin first-time buyers (and Hitchin homeowners with minimal equity).

In addition, the continued low interest rates and the demand for larger homes because of lockdown, means the Hitchin property market should remain bullish for a while. There is a surge in potential buyers putting themselves on mailing lists with Hitchin estate agents, making the biggest disparity between supply and demand for Hitchin property for many years.

Fears of a cliff edge for the Hitchin housing market at the end of March have dispersed, somewhat due to the Stamp Duty tax deadline extensions, but also because the elevated level of buyer demand caused by the three lockdowns has continued to swell since the start of 2021 meaning that today …

66% of Hitchin properties on the market are Sold (STC)

Interesting, when utilising data from theadvisory.co.uk website, the Hitchin average for the last five years has only been 47%, meaning there has been an uplift of 40.6% in the proportion of Hitchin properties sold (STC) compared to that five year average.

Yet what can’t be forgotten is that 9 out of 20 Hitchin house sellers are also Hitchin house buyers as well, so whilst they do indeed achieve a higher price for their Hitchin property, they also have to pay more for the Hitchin property they want to buy.

So, how much will Hitchin house prices rise by?

Like all things in life, it’s all about demand and supply. I have discussed the demand, yet what about the supply of properties for sale?

There are 16% fewer Hitchin properties for sale today compared to 3 years ago

Whilst February saw a lower than normal level of new properties coming onto to the Hitchin property market, the easing of lockdown road map and faster rollout of the vaccine is also persuading more Hitchin homeowners (especially those older Hitchin homeowners who have had their jabs) to start making the first steps towards moving home in 2021.

This will mean there will be more Hitchin properties available for sale in the conventionally busier post Easter market in the coming weeks and months which should cause more equilibrium and help keep Hitchin property prices in check.

These are interesting times for the Hitchin property market. If you are a Hitchin homeowner or Hitchin landlord looking to buy or let your Hitchin property in the coming weeks or months, don’t hesitate to drop me a line to discuss what all the points raised in this article mean to you.