In a move aimed at tempering the escalating costs of housing, financial institutions have recently implemented a surprising cut in mortgage rates, marking the first such reduction in several months. While this may initially appear to be a welcome change, housing market specialists are adopting a wary stance. They are forecasting a potentially sizable depreciation in housing prices throughout the remainder of 2023.
The connection between mortgage rates and home prices is well understood. The escalating cost of borrowing diminishes the financial capacity of prospective home buyers. Over the past twelve months, there has been a consistent upward trend in mortgage rates, culminating in the average two-year fixed mortgage deal hitting an eye-watering 6.83 per cent, an immense jump from 2.34 per cent as of December 2021.
Nationwide data until June 2023 highlights the tangible effects of these surging mortgage rates on the housing sector. House prices saw a 3.5 per cent decrease during the past year, signaling the initial phase of what many experts concur could be a further and more dramatic reduction in the near future.
Recent research from the Resolution Foundation supports this stance, projecting a possible 25 per cent tumble in house prices over the ensuing half-decade. Neal Hudson, a housing market authority, endorsed this projection, confirming that such a fall is indeed conceivable in the current rate climate.
Contrastingly, some analysts, including Lucian Cooke of Savills, predict a more tempered 10 per cent decrease in house prices.
Though the fresh cut in mortgage rates may provide a momentary sigh of relief for current homeowners, the wider market is unlikely to feel any substantial reprieve. The cuts made by banks are fractional and cannot neutralize the tremendous upsurge in rates since 2021.
As an example, Nationwide reduced its two-year fixed rate to 5.99 per cent from 6.34 per cent. While this is a decline, it is nowhere near the historically low rates of the recent past.
Further compounding worries, the UK housing market suffered its most precipitous annual drop in 14 years this past July, sliding 3.8 per cent as per Nationwide's figures. This significant descent underscores the intensity of the ongoing market recalibration, principally fueled by rocketing mortgage interest rates and the fiscal hurdles confronting would-be buyers.
Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, stressed that the soaring mortgage rates have overburdened housing affordability. Presently, the mean cost of a UK residence is £260,828, a dip of about £13,000 from last August's zenith.
The upward trajectory of mortgage rates persists, with typical two-year and five-year fixed mortgage rates at 6.85 and 6.37 per cent respectively. The situation is expected to worsen with the Bank of England's 14th anticipated interest rate increment, from 5 per cent to a minimum of 5.25 per cent.
With mounting uncertainties surrounding mortgage rates and inflation, the future of the UK housing market is unpredictable. To reach a balance between supply and demand, experts indicate that house prices might need to recede roughly 8 per cent from their peak. Prospective buyers will continue to face challenges, and the decline in the housing market is anticipated to persist for the rest of the year.
Buying agent Henry Pryor has noted that the reductions in mortgage rates are trivial when juxtaposed with looming increases for those transitioning from fixed-rate mortgages, implying that the reductions might not greatly affect home offers.
