House prices rose slightly in 2024, but hopes of a significant market uplift were largely delayed by stubbornly high mortgage rates.
The latest data from the Land Registry shows an annual rise of 4.9%, with the average UK house price standing at £269,000 in January.
Here, Which? analyses what’s happening to house prices according to other indices including Nationwide, Halifax, Rightmove and Zoopla, and explains what might come next as 2025 progresses.
How have house prices changed?
The Land Registry’s UK House Price Index is the most reliable barometer of what’s happening to house prices, as it’s based on actual property sales rather than asking prices. It works on a two-month lag, so the most recent figures are for January 2025.
The Land Registry says the average price of a property in the UK increased by 4.9% between January 2024 and 2025.
In the 12 months prior, house prices decreased by 1.9%.
There is a gap of £103,691 between the average price paid by first-time buyers and those who are already on the housing ladder in Great Britain (data is not available for Northern Ireland):
- First-time buyer: £227,026
- Home mover: £330,717
Average house prices over time
- Find out more: best mortgage rates – check how rates compare for first-time buyers, home movers, and those looking to remortgage
How do other house price indices compare?
As well as Land Registry data, there are a handful of other property price indices that indicate what’s going on with house prices.
The portal Rightmove provides the most up-to-date figures, but they’re based on asking prices set by sellers rather than confirmed sales. Zoopla’s figures are based on sold prices, mortgage valuations and recently-agreed sales.
Nationwide and Halifax also publish their own monthly data, based on mortgage lending. All indices currently show year-on-year price rises.
- Find out more: best mortgage lenders
House price changes by region in January 2025
Price changes vary from region-to-region and country-to-country.
Land Registry data shows a mix of price rises and falls in January, with the North East of England registering the largest monthly price rise.
Source: UK House Price Index, 26 March 2025. Monthly data is not available for N. Ireland, figures are released each quarter. Average prices are rounded to the nearest thousand.
How many homes are being sold?
Housing transactions picked up towards the end of 2024, as buyers returned to the market amid mortgage rate drops.
The most recent data from HMRC shows that an estimated 95,110 transactions went through in January 2025, up 14% on 2024’s figure.
The graph below shows how numbers have fluctuated over the past three years.
- Find out more: the cost of selling a house
How long does it take to sell a property?
This depends on lots of factors, but broadly speaking, properties have been taking longer to sell due to high mortgage rates.
Rightmove says sellers are currently taking an average of 68 days to secure a buyer.
What will happen to house prices?
There is a consensus among experts that house prices will rise this year, with predictions far more bullish than a year ago.
Knight Frank and Zoopla predict modest growth of 2.5%, while Savills and Rightmove both forecast increases of 4%.
Halifax estimates house price will rise by up to 3% next year and Nationwide predicts that they could increase by as much as 4%.
News agency Reuters asked 21 UK housing experts for their predictions in November.
On average, experts predicted a 3.1% rise in 2025, with individual forecasts ranging from 2% to 6%.
Is it possible to get a good mortgage deal?
Mortgage rates slightly increased at the start of 2025, but are now starting to fall.
The average two-year fixed-rate mortgage was priced at 5.39% on 1 March 2025, compared to 5.48% on 1 January 2025.
There are hopes that mortgage rates will fall further over the next 12 months, with the Bank of England likely to continue to reduce its base rate.
For the latest information, check out our guide on the best mortgage rates.
If you’re coming up to the end of your fixed term, our story on what to do if you need to remortgage offers advice on your options.
Finally, if you’re struggling to make your current repayments, see our guide on what to do if you can’t pay your mortgage.
This story is regularly updated with the latest house price index figures and expert views. The last update was on 26 March 2025.