Market Trends

21st June 2018

2018 is well and truly underway, but there’s been little certainty in the property market. From the abolition of Stamp Duty for first time buyers, to the impending Brexit and fluctuating house prices, we’ve seen a ‘watch and wait’ approach adopted by many. But is it all for a good cause?


Pricing in the current market

With the average property ownership between seven and eight years, you may have received higher valuations for your home in the recent past - but not so much in the current climate. With price fluctuations across the entire housing market (May saw house prices rise by 1.5% following a 3.1% dip), your ideal house is still within reach, you may just be selling and buying for a little less. A realistic, competitive valuation will serve you well with the current high demand for property allowing you to move quickly, while still being able to afford your next home.


Keeping the market moving

Over 1.2 million second steppers considered moving but didn’t in the last two years. Of those, over 50% found their current homes too small for their needs. This ‘watch and wait’ attitude is a major contributor to market stagnation, which sees house prices rise unrealistically and availability reduce dramatically. The best thing we can do? Keep moving. With an influx of new buyers available thanks to changes in Stamp Duty, homeowners at all levels of the ladder can move onto their next big adventure, all the while allowing first time buyers access to the market.


Borrowing money

Mortgage rates have been at an all-time low, but with the Bank of England expected to increase base interest rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, it’s likely mortgage rates will edge up too. This shouldn’t be a worry though, as rates are currently at a historical low. A more promising trend is the news that mortgage approvals increased by 6.4% from April to May, a good sign for first-time buyers.


Looking ahead

Don’t let the market dictate finding your perfect home. Instead, put stock in a solid, realistic valuation and act. Whether you’re a second-stepper seller, first-time buyer or are considering downsizing, our honest, friendly team can give you all the advice you need when buying or selling in Brighton & Hove.


Get in touch


Key takeaways:

Testimonials

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English The Ridgway

  • A good team at Woodingdean helped us through a stressful time.

    Mr & Mrs Penton Sycamore Close

  • Sharon was amazing! She kept us up to date the whole way through the process. We cannot fault Sharon or the rest of her team. 

    Mr & Mrs Ashley Woodingdean

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Taunton Road

  • Sold within 2 weeks for asking price "excellent!"

    Mr Grundy Bishops Road

  • Maslens as a whole were really friendly and professional. I have to thank and congratulate Paula Carter for being superb at her job and exceeding m...

    Ms Warren Hove

  • An efficient, professional and friendly service. Helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

    Mr Beddington Brading Road

  • The team worked very hard over a long period to ensure my sale went through - excellent service!

    Mr Patrick Gladstone Terrace

  • The whole team were excellent, each one of them felt like family. Sharon had a lot of sorting to do at times but coped very well, a true profession...

    Mr Vernon Woodingdean

  • Please thank Paula at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Lewes Road

  • The whole team were very committed from start to finish.

    Mr Pilgrim Lewes Road

  • Thanks David, all very professional.

    Mrs Flowers Foxdown Road

  • Service exceeded my expectations overall at all stages of the process - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you. Thanks. 

    Ms Greene Lewes Road

  • Outstanding service from Sharon. James is an asset to Maslens & Harvey was so helpful and polite.

    Ms Cianchetta Selhurst Road

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Lewes Road

  • A very committed team who made the sale process very easy.

    Ms Rees Ticehurst Road

  • Our local office manager, Sharon Wareham was warm and friendly and kept us up to date at all times.

    Mr Hope The Brow

  • A completely painless experience from start to finish. Thank you.

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Lewes Road

  • Thank you. We found all the staff knowledgeable and really pleasant to deal with. 

    Ms Ansloos Lewes Road

  • We cannot recommend Maslen's estate agents enough.

    Many thanks to Paul, Donna, Janette and the...

    Linda & Les Wigmore Close

  • Very professional service. Thank you!

    Miss New & Mr Jackson Buller Road

  • We were delighted with the service received from all the staff with whom we had contact,

    Dr Crichton The Ridgway

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Hove

  • Nick and Paula are total stars! They were incredibly supportive and present throughout. Thank you!

    Miss O'Haire Hove

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Newmarket Road

  • Very good service and communication. Paula was excellent.

    Mr & Mrs Scarboro 1 Pevensey Road

  • Very pleased with the excellent service throughout. Professional, friendly, efficient and no hard sell. Achieved above asking price. Thank you!

    Mr Witten Lewes Road

  • Cannot express our appreciation enough of all the efforts made by the Woodingdean team - they were fantastic.

    Mr John Mogridge Woodingdean

  • I was new to the area and viewed a lot of properties with a lot of different agents. Maslens were by far the best I came in contact with, so when i...

    Mr & Mrs Heer Lewes Road

  • Very impressed with the service. Sharon Wareham works tirelessly, very professionally and is always there for advice. 

    Miss Matthews Kipling Avenue

  • It was a long, drawn out process that the people at Maslen helped me through, without the impression that it was a chore. So extremely professional...

    Mr McLagan Lewes Road

  • A very positive experience - I had most contact with the Fiveways office and they were so friendly and helpful.

    Ms A King Balfour Road

  • Excellent customer service throughout. I will definitely recommend you, and use you again. Thank you.

    Ms Longley Kingsbury Street

  • Sharon and her team could not have done more in what was a difficult sale. 

    Ms Daly Woodingdean

  • Sharon was excellent - kept us well informed, thank you so much!

    Ms Waters Cowley Drive

  • Superb service as usual, I would always recommend you.

    Ms S Hike Blackthorn Close

  • All the staff I dealt with were excellent. Sharon worked really hard to complete the sale.

    Mrs Bent Falmer Gardens

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Selborne Place

  • Best Estate Agents ever experienced - professional, approachable, competent and exemplary. 

    Mr & Mrs Guest Riley Road

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Lewes Road

  • We were very impressed with the Nick from start to finish. 

    Mr & Mrs Smith Lewes Road

  • Paula is amazing!

    Ms Aspnall Gladstone Place

  • In February 2016 I was looking to buy and sell very rapidly. Competition among buyers at the time was very high. Sharon @ the Woodingdean branch sh...

    Ms Helen Lyons Woodingdean

  • I found the service to be courteous, friendly and efficient.

    Mr Upton Buller Road

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Milner Road

  • Very impressive - professional and friendly, both Martin Timms and Paula Carter were excellent at keeping in contact with sensible advice based on...

    Mrs O'Connor Hove

  • The staff were very helpful, an excellent service. I would recommend you to others.

    Miss Hockly Fiveways

  • Very impressed with all dealings with Maslen. Paula Carter was in particular very knowledgeable and helpful. 

    Mr McBlane Hove

  • Excellent communication and advice throughout. It felt very reassuring to be in good hands.

    Mrs Brooker Buller Road

  • Very, very happy we chose you, felt right from the start! Thank you!

    Miss Blackadder Coniston Court, Holland Road

  • Paula was absolutely amazing!

    Mr & Mrs MacKay Lewes Road

  • Fantastic service. By far the best agents we have ever used, I cannot recommend you highly enough.

    Mr Field Mafeking Road

  • Very pleased with the experience. I would definitely recommend you and use you again.

    Ms D Edmonds Horton Road

  • Quality advice about when and how to sell, which was spot on. Thank you.

    Miss Coleman Buller Road

  • From start to finish the sale was dealt with in a thoroughly professional manner.  

    Mr Gibbs Lewes Road

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Cromwell Road

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Tarner Road

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards The Ridgway

  • We were very pleased with services provided by the Fiveways office.

    Mr & Mrs Sawyer Shaftesbury Road

  • Extremely efficient. Nick and Paula are excellent. The weekly phone calls were much appreciated. 

    Ms Gray Lewes Road

  • Sharon, Harvey and James were all excellent - very professional. Totally opposite to what I have experienced with other agents. Maslen have restore...

    Ms Lyons Woodingdean

  • I wish we had used you to sell our property! Nice to meet honest people, who are genuinely interested in helping. Very pleased.

    Mrs Porter Taunton Road

  • Exceptional service throughout the process - should we decide to sell in the future we wouldn't hesitate to use your agency. You're a cut above the...

    Ms Windels & Mr Barham Fiveways

  • Brilliant. Well done to Sharon and the Woodingdean team.

    Ms Curtis The Ridgway

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne The Avenue

  • Graham Griffin provided us, and continues to provide us, will all-round excellent advice. We trust his knowledge and expertise.

    Mr Blackmore & Ms O'Sullivan Financial Services

  • All very professional, kept updated throughout. Very pleased - Would recommend. 

    Mrs Hammond Hove

  • Very pleased with the service. Many thanks to Sharon and the boys!

    Mr Flynn Woodingdean

  • Harvey was helpful and easily reachable at the beginning of the process and Sharon kept us informed and was always happy to help.

    Ms Murch & Ms Mapa Ticehurst Road

  • Thank you Paul and Archie, you gave an excellent service, as well as Kelly. I look forward to working with you again. 

    Mr White Fiveways

  • Paul Wilkinson was extremely helpful and efficient. The only problem was the vendors solicitor and Paul warned me of this. A good transaction all r...

    Mr Lavender Fiveways

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Woodingdean

  • All agents at Maslen were extremely helpful and polite from the beginning to the completion of sale. 

    Mr Johnson Fiveways

  • Very happy with the service we got from you guys, everyone we dealt with was extremely friendly, professional and helpful. Thanks!

    Mr Brown Titian Road

  • It was an amazing experience, everyone involved were fantastic. 

    Mr & Mrs Knight Woodingdean

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Willow Close

  • Paula was fabulous and we felt really informed and supported. 

    Mr & Mrs Walker Lewes Road

  • Sharon was excellent, she kept us informed at all stages and was a really calming objective influence in the process.

    Ms Frederick Channel View Road

  • The Woodingdean team were very friendly and approachable.

    Mrs Palmer Pitt Gardens

  • Excellent service from the Lewes Road branch. Martin Timms secured a quick sale & at a good price & Paula Carter worked really hard to secure...

    Ms Schulte Bear Road

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Ringmer Road

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Fiveways

  • Great service, always polite and friendly. Excellent contact and info all the way.

    Mr Wells Bishops Road

  • Many thanks to Nick. It was an easy process thanks to you! I'm extremely satisfied with how the sale went, great job.

    Ms Mayanobe Aymer Road

  • Paula's role was brilliant. Having someone office based and available was so appreciated and her promptness an impressive service - every Estate Agent...

    Ms Wynn-Jones Baxter Street

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Waldegrave Road

  • Very comprehensive and professional. Nice people to work with and highly recommended. 

    Mr Alderton Ladysmith Road

  • Very impressed with the efficient and friendly service, the staff were a pleasure to deal with. 

    Mr & Mrs Gill Lewes Road

  • Ben and Paula were calm and reassuring throughout a very difficult process!

    Ms Easterbrook Bear Road

  • You were amazingly helpful throughout - a real pillar of strength with a very difficult sale.

    Mrs Parkin Fiveways

  • The sale was dealt with swiftly, professionally and successfully. Thank you Maslen!

    Mrs Lincoln Hove

  • I have bought and sold 7 properties, and this was the best experience of an estate agents services I have found.

    Mrs Shepherd Hertford Road

  • Hugely impressed with Ben & his team.

    Mrs Mead Upper Lewes Road

  • Ben was particularly enthusiastic and helpful. Martin, Paula, Sam and Will are all hard workers.

    Ms Goodey Franklin Road

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