The Great Debate UK
UK property: a pig that won’t fly
- James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own –
The pig that is British property is furiously flapping its wings, but despite signs of a recovery in prices and activity, rest assured there will be no take-off.
The country, which witnessed a property bubble that made the U.S. seem sober and sensible in comparison, has seen prices fall by about 20 percent but still faces a tough recession, rising unemployment and serious short and long term questions about the price of financing.
In the face of this, Britons seeking to sell their property last month turned again to a tactic that worked so well in the boom years: they raised prices, with property website Rightmove recording a 2.4 percent rise in asking prices in May.
“While some of the impetus behind the increase of over 5,000 pounds in average asking prices will be due to ambition or optimism, it will also be out of necessity as new sellers attempt to scrape together enough equity to move,” Miles Shipside of Rightmove said.
