Some years ago, I was visiting a lovely couple who had spotted a fabulous home that Artistry was selling closer to their family and who’d consequently instructed us to sell their existing home. It was a super day, I was early, and there’s nothing better than a walk in a North Bedfordshire, riverside village. Parking some way away, I wandered through the village, receiving many cheery smiles and greetings, and chatting to anyone who cared to chat – such is the joy of the friendly communities in our area.
A petrol mower spluttered to a halt and its middle-aged operator stopped to pass the time of day. He bemoaned the fact that he had sold his home a couple of years before and had been cutting the huge lawn of the house he was renting ever since, having been misled by so-called experts flooding the media at the time proclaiming that the property market was about to crash. His problem was that, in waiting to snap up a bargain, prices had soared and he could no longer afford to buy the type of home he and his family had dreamed of.
I’ve often thought of that gentleman as both rental and house prices have simultaneously continued their relentless rise, yet any correction will no doubt be greeted with glee by those who know that if they keep saying something for long enough they can, one day, pretend they were right all along. As 2022 draws to a close, new data shows UK house prices are around £17,500 higher on average than at the start of the year, the average house price in the UK being £258,100. Latest predictions for an imminent fall would leave average prices still higher than they were then – and that’s just the average, which can never be a description of an Artistry home.
Many have wished they hadn’t listened to forecasts, not least governments and central banks who have based their policies not only on short-term popularity considerations but wholly unreliable forecasts. In the same way as inflation and recessions are caused by policymakers so too they can hasten recoveries, one following the other as sure as night and day.
The heartening thing is that whatever policymakers do, there is nothing quite so wonderful as owning one’s own home, and there is no home so worth owning as a unique Artistry home. Many people looking to move in 2023 may be scouring the Artistry pages over the holiday or, perhaps, coming across our latest appearance in Country Life magazine, while many of our clients will be enjoying their first Christmas in their dream home.
Whatever your situation, we wish you a very happy Christmas and new year.