Property Review - August 2026
Thank you Howard Davis for writing this article. Howard is Managing Directory of Howard Independent East Agents.
Right From The Start
Howard explains what it takes to be a property-selling winner as autumn approaches.
Can nothing stop the Bristol property market?
Despite the heatwaves, the holidays, political interference and the Straits of Hormuz, the property market here at home is quietly ticking along quite well.
The market has reached a cautious yet resilient stage. It is impossible to say whether we will see a Burnham Bounce, but with modest price growth and easing mortgage rates conditions have gradually shifted in favour of purchasers. This has increased the number of houses on the market, giving buyers a wider choice and creating a more competitive environment in which sellers must adopt a more tactical approach to finding a buyer.
With greater inventory, overpriced and/or poorly presented properties risk a prolonged period on the market. Sellers can and should avoid this by adopting three simple strategies to improve their chances of a successful early sale.
Sellers cannot control their property’s location or the state of the economy, so they should focus on what they can control: price, presentation, and performance.
Price: ultimately, everything comes down to cost, so asking prices should attract buyers, not repel them. In this market, buyers are easily repelled.
Presentation: sellers never get a second chance to make a first impression. So, they should mend, declutter, clean and shine as if a sale depends on it - because it does.
Performance: sellers should also keep in mind that buyers are highly attuned to the cost of living, so energy performance, achieved through effective insulation and eco-friendly heating and energy generation, is more important than ever in keeping running costs as low as possible.
August is the perfect time to get these things right before autumn, when the let’s-move-before-Christmas market begins in earnest.
So, remember the three Ps - price, presentation, and performance. Get these right from the start and it should not be long before that For Sale sign says Sold.
