What's Selling in Bradford Now, and What's Sitting

Every few weeks someone asks me the same thing over a coffee: is now a good time to sell? The honest answer is that the national headlines rarely tell you much about what's happening on your street. Our corner of Bradford has always marched to its own beat.

So here's what I'm actually seeing across the villages I cover: Clayton, Wibsey, Queensbury, Low Moor, Wyke, Thornton, Shelf and over towards Halifax.

Good, sensibly-priced homes are still moving

Summer gets written off as the slow season because people are away. But that cuts both ways. Fewer homes come to market, so a well-presented property with strong photography and video stands out far more than it would in the spring scramble. The buyers who are looking in July and August tend to be serious ones, not tyre-kickers filling a Sunday afternoon.

That matches what the wider figures are hinting at too. The latest Rightmove report shows the national average asking price dropped 0.6% this month, the biggest June fall in fourteen years, as sellers try to tempt summer buyers. Here in Yorkshire and the Humber the average sits at £259,064 and prices are still fractionally up on a year ago, which is more than can be said for every region across southern England. We're not immune to the mood, but we're holding steadier than most.

Buyers are doing their homework

With borrowing costs where they are, people are far more careful than they were a couple of years ago. The average two-year fixed rate has eased slightly to 5.07%, which trims a typical monthly payment by around £30, but nobody's throwing money about.

What that means on the ground is that two homes on the same street can sell weeks apart purely on presentation and pricing. Overpricing to "test the market" is the quickest way to end up chasing offers down come September. Buyers notice when a property has been sat there a while, and they treat it accordingly.

Family homes near good schools are the tightest part of the market

If there's one thing that shrugs off the wider mood, it's a family home within walking distance of a well-regarded primary, with a proper garden and a driveway. Those go almost regardless of what the headlines are doing. Demand nationally is down about 10% year-on-year, yet that particular type of home in our patch still gets more attention than the supply can satisfy.

It's a reminder that "the market" isn't one thing. A tired terrace priced like it's had a full refurb will sit. A sensible, well-dressed family house near the right catchment can still see plenty of interest.

What this means if you're thinking of moving

None of this is a reason to panic, and it's certainly not a reason to hold off if a move is right for you. It's a reason to be realistic. Presentation and honest pricing are doing the heavy lifting this summer, more than they were when everything sold in a week.

If you're weighing things up, the most useful thing you can do is get an accurate valuation based on what's actually selling nearby, not a flattering figure designed to win your instruction. I'd far rather give you the honest number and a clear plan than a nice-sounding one that leaves you disappointed in three months.

If you'd like a straight, no-obligation chat about your home and what it might fetch in the current market, give me a call. I'm out across these villages every week and happy to pop round.

Thinking of moving? Get a free, no-obligation valuation at valuation.michaelbrownsett.exp.uk.com or call me directly on 01274 955 559.