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• February 2012

  Winter lull continues buying opportunity

  Prime asking prices fell for the second consecutive month in January, furthering buying opportunities across the country.

  In January, asking prices within Lambeth increased more than any other borough. Prime asking prices rose by 4% in the borough that straddles Central, South East and South West London.

  Prime asking prices rose in only two regions in January. Only one region has a lower average asking price than a year ago, with prices 0.5% lower than January 2011 in Yorkshire.
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• January 2012

  Prime market ends longest ever rally

  December marked the end of the longest run of price increases on record for the UK prime property market. Until December's figures, asking prices had increased each month since February, and the nine month rally added 4.7% to the typical prime asking price.

  For the second consecutive month, London has posted the highest annual increases in prime property prices. Surprisingly, these two months have been the first two in which London has been the best performing region in terms of annual property price movements. For the 14 months up to October 2011, the North West had shown the greatest annual price increases, and before that, Scotland.

  Prime asking prices rose in only two regions in December. Eight regions reported falling prices in December, while in the North West, prices remained flat. However, on an annual basis, asking prices increased in every UK mainland region.
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• December 2011

  London and Wales hold up UK prime market

  Prime asking prices broke the record for the seventh consecutive month in November, with the national average price rising to £475,597.

  November was a major landmark for the London prime market for three reasons. The monthly average price increase of 3.4% was the highest on record, and it took asking prices to a new record high.

  In a challenging month, asking prices for prime properties rose in four mainland regions in November, and fell in six. Prime properties performed better than the general market in eight regions, with particularly strong performances in Wales and London.
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• November 2011

  Prime property prices reach new heights

  Asking prices for prime properties reached record heights in October – for the sixth consecutive month.

  South West London has seen remarkable price increases in the past year, with boroughs such as Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth all seeing annual price gains of over 10%.

  Asking prices for prime properties rose in 8 of the 11 mainland UK regions in October. Asking prices for prime properties rose faster than the general market in ten regions.
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• October 2011

  Prime gap wider than ever

  For the second consecutive month, prime property prices have increased while asking prices across all properties have fallen.

  Despite experiencing a challenging start to the year, Central London has been on a four month roll, which has pushed up the average prime asking price to new heights.

  Asking prices rose in eight of the eleven UK regions for both prime and prime platinum properties. This compares favourably with price movements for all properties, which fell in six of the eleven regions.
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• September 2011

  West pulls forward in August

  Despite the fact that overall Prime asking prices marginally rose in August, the increases were not evenly spread across the country. The three best performing regions in terms of monthly price changes were the North West, West Midlands and Wales with gains of 1.2%, 0.7% and 0.6% respectively.

  Average asking prices for Prime properties in West London rose by 1.1% in August, taking year on year price rises to 12.1%. The average price of a Prime property in the region is currently £1,094,243.

  Though Prime prices increased slightly across the country in August, the upward movement was not uniform, with some regions seeing sharp increases and others seeing prices fall slightly.
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• August 2011

  Northern Prime market remains strong

  The North West is currently the most successful region in the UK in terms of rising prices for Prime properties. In the past year they have increased by 13.5%, with gains of 1.7% in the past month alone.

  South West London continues to be the top growth area in the capital for premium properties. Both Prime and Prime Platinum properties have seen the typical asking prices rise by over 10% in the last year.

  Asking prices for Prime properties rose in seven of the eleven UK regions, with only two areas seeing asking prices for Prime properties rise by over 1%.
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• July 2011

  Top end properties continue to push the boundaries

  For the second consecutive month, the average price for Prime properties has pushed through the previous high watermark. After gains in May of 1.3%, prices once again rose a further 0.9% nationally in June, pulling the average further away from the £461,733 peak in July 2009, which was the highest level in the history of this index.

  Although Central London is historically the strongest area of London for its Prime properties, the area did not have a strong start to 2011, with prices falling in four of the first five months in the year. However, in June this downward trend appears to have come to an end, with prices bouncing back up 1.1% in June.

  Prime property asking prices increased in every single UK region in June. However, the increases were not evenly spread through the country, with properties in the East of the UK generally performing better than those in the West.
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• June 2011

  Rallying prices for Prime Scottish Properties

  Scotland has seen the greatest increase to prime prices of any UK region this month, for the first time in a year. The last time Scottish prices increased more than any other region was in May 2010.

  Asking prices for prime properties increased more in East London than any other area of London during May. Increases of 1.4% in the East London boroughs were the highest seen in almost two years, since June 2009.

  Asking prices rose in all but one of the UK regions during May, with a positive shift towards the east of the country.
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• May 2011

  Rising prices for Prime property across the country

  Asking prices for both Prime and Prime Platinum properties have increased in every single UK mainland region in April. The increases were not evenly distributed and unusually the smallest increases were found in London.

  Wandsworth has become the third borough in as many months to see the average price for Prime properties pass £1m. Prime prices jumped 3.8% in the borough during April, taking the average to £1,000,895.

  Prices for both Prime and Prime Platinum property rose in every single region in the UK. The greatest price increases were found in the most inexpensive region, whilst London, home to the costliest Prime properties, saw the smallest increase. The four regions to see the largest asking price rises were all in the East.
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• Apr 2011

  Price increases return to the UK prime market

  Across the country, prime property prices increased for the first time in 2011 during March, although current figures show that the top end of the market is lagging behind the entire UK property market in the short term.

  Haringey became the latest borough to see the average asking price of a prime property pass the £1 million mark. Increases of 2.4% during March took the average prime price in the borough to £1,023,956.

  All but one of the UK regions saw modest rises to prime asking prices in March, and there were only two regions where prime prices gained less than averages across all properties. London was the best performing region, seeing monthly gains of 1.3% on average.
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• Mar 2011

  Price expectations surpass expectations

  Whilst some might be nervous that property prices have fallen for each of the first three months of the year, there are some reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Prime prices have still risen year on year, currently 1.5% above those for March 2010.

  Prices in Central London have stagnated since January, with marginal monthly increases of less than 0.05%. This is largely due to asking prices for Prime properties in the City of Westminster, which have been falling for the last four months.

  Prime prices increased in 6 of the 11 UK regions. London was the best performing region, seeing monthly gains of 0.3% on average. Outside the capital, the north out-performed the south with Yorkshire and the North East the second and third best performing areas.
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• Feb 2011

  Prime Platinum takes a hit

  Unusually, Prime Platinum prices across the country have not performed as well as either the Prime or general markets in the past month. The average Prime Platinum property in the UK is on the market for £4,600 less than it was in January, with greater percentage falls than for other types of property.

  Central London has seen a very weak start to the year following its top ranking performance in 2010. Of the seven London areas studied, Central London ranks second bottom for the year to date, with only North London seeing prices fall further.

  Prime prices fell in seven of the UK mainland regions, with Prime Platinum prices falling in eight. The North West was the best performing region outside the capital. Yorkshire also did well in February, seeing the first monthly increases for Prime property in six months.
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• Jan 2011

  2011 sees a steady start to the year

  Prices for the Prime and Prime Platinum have been relatively stable in January, with some regions reporting slight increases, and some reporting slight decreases. No region saw monthly price movements of more than 1% in either direction for Prime properties, so while the overall asking price movement is down, the average movement is small.

  Central London was probably London's most consistent performer in 2010, regularly outperforming the capital as a whole and ranking at or near the top compared with the other London areas. The capital's centre has not started the year as strongly and was the only region to have seen average prices fall.

  Prime property prices increased in 6 of the 11 mainland regions with the Prime sector outperforming the general property market in all but two regions. The story was similar for Prime Platinum market, which also saw increases in 6 regions. 7 of the 11 regions also outperformed the general property market.
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• Dec 2010

  Prime properties rally against market

  Prime and Prime Platinum properties both appreciated slightly in December, with both seeing a 0.1% rise in prices since November

  All London regions saw an increase in prime sales asking price apart from East London. Prime property prices also rose in all regions other than East London.

  Eight out of the 11 regions saw an increase in asking price for Prime Platinum properties for the month. The only areas to see price falls over the past month were Scotland, East of England and the North East. Seven regions saw monthly Prime prices increases. Scotland, the East of England, the South West and the North East were the areas in which average prices dropped. All regions saw a fall in prime stock levels, with Yorkshire and the Humber seeing the biggest fall of 10% in the last month.
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• Nov 2010

  Prime properties weather the financial storm

  Both Prime and Prime Platinum properties have performed more strongly than the property market as a whole, both over the past month and over the past year. The average UK property has fallen 0.1% over the last month, losing £183 in value. Over the last year, the decline is greater still, with homes on average worth £798 less than November 09.

  London prime properties have increased 0.3% since October, with the average London Prime property now worth £1,100,547. Compared with November 2009, Prime properties have also increased by 0.3%, substantially better than the 2% average price decline across the entire London property market. However, price movements are extremely localised, with the biggest annual price movements around 20% in both directions.

  In eight regions Prime properties have increased over the past month, with the greatest increases seen in the East Midlands (1.1%). Four regions have seen price decreases over the past year. but the biggest increases were in the NW, where Prime property prices are 4% higher than last year. Prime Platinum prices have performed similarly to Prime ones, with monthly increases in all regions bar Scotland and the NE. Annually, eight regions saw increases with the NE, NW and SE gaining 4.8% or more.
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• Oct 2010

  Top end prices static

  The average price of a Prime UK property was virtually unchanged in October, rising slightly (0.03%) to £454,022 in October. Compared with the previous year, Prime prices are 0.9% lower than October 2009.

  London Prime asking prices have fallen by 0.9% since September and the average is now £1,097,466. Compared with October 2009, Prime properties are worth 0.7% less than last year, when the average Prime property was worth £1,105,510. As such, Prime London properties have performed slightly better than the capital's market as a whole, which has dropped by 1.0%.

  Five regions recorded average asking price increases in the Prime market, and five in Platinum. Scotland's rose the most for both, up 2.5% and 4.4% respectively compared to last year. The greatest drops were in Wales, where Prime property dropped by 5.0% and Prime Platinum by an average of 4.2%.
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• Sept 2010

  Higher taxes and double dips

  Following the first dip in asking prices for Prime and Prime Platinum prices for several months during August, prices have continued to fall throughout September.

  Asking prices for Prime and Prime Platinum properties continued to fall across London in September. South West London witnessed the biggest decreases, with Prime properties down 6.9% to £972,579 and 9.1% lower at £1,610,952 in the Prime Platinum tier since August. Annually, asking prices in South West London have fallen 17.0% and 13.6% since September 2009.

  Seven regional Prime Platinum markets and four Prime markets saw asking prices remain higher on an annualised basis for September. However, only two regions, Wales and the North East, had higher asking prices in the Prime category than the previous month.
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• August 2010

  Prime property growth stalls in August

  After four months of continuous price growth in the UK's Prime property tier and six consecutive months of increases for Prime Platinum, the average value of a top end home experienced a slight dip in August.

  Following six months of healthy growth, average prices for Prime and Prime Platinum London property fell in August. Prime prices decreased by 1.3% to £1,133,714 and Prime Platinum property values fell by 1.4% to £1,746,249 against a backdrop of a 3.7% growth in stock. However, the top tiers did witness annual growth of 0.3% and 3.4% respectively.

  Seven regional Prime Platinum markets and five regional Prime markets continued to witness annual property price growth in August. However on a monthly basis, prices in both tiers increased in less than half of the ten regions.
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• July 2010

  Prime property market growth more measured

  Price growth in the UK's Prime and Prime Platinum property markets continued at a more measured pace in July, both recording monthly rises of 0.3% as they responded to the caution instilled in vendors as a result of the government's austerity measures.

  Top end London property prices carried on their ascent in July, with the Prime Platinum tier performing particularly well. Prime prices increased by 0.1% to £1,148,296 and recorded annual growth of 2.2%. Prime Platinum property prices in the capital recorded a 0.6% rise, taking the average value up to £1,771,040 in July – their highest level since before 2008. Annual growth for this top tier was 5.7%.

  The majority of the ten UK regions experienced monthly and annual price increases in both the Prime and Prime Platinum tiers in June, although some recorded slight falls as vendors took a realistic stance.
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• June 2010

  Post election confidence for prime market

  The UK's Prime and Prime Platinum property markets continued their upward curve in prices in the month post election, rising 1.0% and 1.1% respectively. This is the third consecutive month of rises for Prime and the fifth for Prime Platinum. Annual growth for the two tiers was 1.1% and 4.1% as the performance of the top 25% of the market continued to exceed that of the property market as a whole.

  Asking prices for Prime property in London reached a new high in June, with the market continuing to remain buoyant post election.

  All ten UK regions experienced monthly price increases in both the Prime and Prime Platinum tiers in June, as confidence in the market continues to grow. The majority of regions also recorded annual growth in both categories.
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• May 2010

  Prime market defies political uncertainty

  Despite the political uncertainty and upheaval that characterised the first two weeks of May, the UK's Prime and Prime Platinum property markets continued to perform well, recording monthly price rises of 0.6% and 1.1% respectively. Annual growth for the two tiers was 1.9% and 4.9% as the performance of the top 25% of the market continued to exceed that of the property market as a whole.

  London's Prime property markets displayed an even greater degree of immunity to the fears surrounding the hung parliament in May, despite the temporary concerns displayed by tremors in the international financial markets.

  All regions with the exception of Wales experienced monthly price increases in both the Prime and Prime Platinum tiers in May, as confidence in the market continues to grow. The majority of regions also recorded annual growth in both categories.
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• April 2010

  End to recession fears brings buyers back

  The UK's top tier property markets experienced a buoyant month in April, with Prime prices increasing by 0.5% to £449,689 and Prime Platinum prices rising by 1.1% to £625,849. Annual growth of 3.2% and 6.0% was recorded for Prime and Prime Platinum respectively.

  The Prime London property market continued to record bullish price growth in April. Having increased by 1.7%, the average value of a Prime London property is now £1,113,903. Year on year, this represents 4.7% growth.

  Outside London, seven of the ten regions saw monthly price increases in the Prime and Prime Platinum property tiers in April as buyers returned to the market. Annual price growth was experienced by all regions except for Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West.
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• March 2010

  Prime market continues to out-perform

  Prime and Prime Platinum property remains more buoyant than the market as a whole, with Prime rising 3.2% over the past year, and Prime Platinum 5.7%. This compares with a 0.5% increase in the overall market.

  Prime London is one of the strongest sectors of the UK property market, with buyers and sellers significantly less affected by the credit crunch or the lack of available mortgage finance than most other tiers of the market. Indeed, those who do borrow enjoy the current low level of interest rates, while the surge of stock markets over recent months has enabled some to raise finance for property purchase against their investment portfolios.

  Outside London, two regions saw increases in Prime property prices, while half saw rises in Prime Platinum. Stocks grew in all regions with the return to the market of sellers, following the cold winter weather.
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• February 2010

  Capital on the rise

  The levels of Prime and Prime Platinum stock received a further boost in February, jumping by 4.5% month on month, as vendors continued to return to the market, having postponed their move during the uncertainty of the recession. The number of properties for sale was up 17% year on year, making February the fourth month in a row to experience annual growth.

  Prime London was one of the first regions to return to positive monthly price growth in February. Prime property recorded an increase of 0.2%, taking the average price to £1,082,896 and Prime Platinum property price increased by 0.6% to £1,632,764.

  Two of the ten regions outside London saw price increases in the Prime sector in February and half saw rises in Prime Platinum property prices, indicating that the sector as a whole is on the verge of picking up again. All the regions experienced annual growth in stock levels as vendors return to the market.
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• January 2010

  Bankers to boost Prime property markets?

  Prime and Prime Platinum property prices experienced a further slight dip in January 2010 as the seasonal lull in activity continued, assisted by the UK's prolonged cold snap, which hindered or prevented property viewings for many country homes. However, prices have only fallen just under 1% in total and overall annual growth remains positive, with only a couple of the regions seeing marginal falls.

  While the capital's Prime property markets have not been immune to a seasonal cooling-off of prices due to lower levels of activity from domestic buyers, they were still among the top performing regions for annual growth in January. Prime and Prime Platinum property recorded price increases of 5.3% and 8.6% respectively.

  The majority of regional Prime markets experienced marginal monthly price falls in January. However, most have seen annual growth. Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest annual price increase, while the East of England continued to be the weakest performer.
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• December 2009

  Prime property markets have buoyant year

  Prime and Prime Platinum properties have performed well over the course of 2009, with strong annual growth from December 2008 to December 2009 of 6.3% and 8.6% respectively. The consecutive months of price rises throughout the majority of the year have been greater than those across the UK market as a whole, which has experienced a marginal price fall of 0.3%. Consequently, the Prime and Prime platinum markets have been spearheading a recovery for the wider UK property market.

  The capital's Prime and Prime Platinum property markets have experienced healthy price growth over the course of 2009, outperforming the UK property market as a whole. This growth has been supported by buyers on top-tier salaries who can raise a large deposit and borrow without difficulty and whose decision to purchase is less dependent on market forces. The shortage of stock in the first half of the year has also contributed to the price increases.

  Prime markets in eight out of the ten UK regions (excluding London) ended the year on positive annual price growth, with the East and North West the only exceptions. After Scotland and Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber saw the greatest year-on-year price increases.
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• November 2009

  UK Prime Property tiers are more distinct

  With property price inflation increasing dramatically over the past 15 years and certain locations becoming ever more desirable and set apart due to their excellent amenities and services, the top end of the housing market has been segmented into two distinct sub-markets; Prime and Prime Platinum.

  Annual price growth for Prime and Prime Platinum property remains in double figures, as top-end property in the capital has led the market recovery - notwithstanding the marginal declines in November. This relatively strong performance has been driven by a cautious upswing in consumer confidence and bolstered by wealthier UK and international buyers with access to equity, cash and finance.

  Annual price growth for Prime and Prime Platinum property was positive for eight of the ten UK regions in November. Scotland and Wales saw strong annual growth, and of the English regions (outside London) Yorkshire and Humber and the South East recorded the largest annual rise.
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