Annual house prices suffer worst fall since July 2009

(Sharecast News) - Annual house prices suffered their worst fall last month since July 2009, according to figures released on Tuesday by Nationwide. Prices were down 3.8% on the year following a 3.5% decline in June and now stand at £260,828.

On the month, prices fell 0.2% in July following a 0.1% increase a month earlier.

Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner noted that the price of a typical home is now 4.5% below the August 2022 peak.

"Investors' views about the likely path of UK interest rates have been volatile in recent months, with the projected Bank Rate peak fluctuating between 5% in mid-May and 6.5% in early July," he said. "There has been a slight tempering of expectations in recent weeks but longer-term interest rates, which underpin mortgage pricing, remain elevated."

He said that as a result, housing affordability remains stretched for people looking to buy a home with a mortgage.

"For example, a prospective buyer, earning the average wage and looking to buy the typical first-time buyer property with a 20% deposit, would see monthly mortgage payments account for 43% of their take home pay (assuming a 6% mortgage rate)," he said.

"This is up from 32% a year ago and well above the long-run average of 29%. Moreover, deposit requirements continue to present a high hurdle - with a 10% deposit equivalent to 55% of gross annual average income."