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Home Asking Price Index, October 2026: the average rises, the market stalls
Average asking prices in England and Wales rose 1.63% over the year to £398,910, while typical time on market almost doubled to 57 days.
- Average asking price
- £398,910
- Monthly change
- +1.03%
- Annual change
- +1.63%
- Real annual change
- -1.8%
In this article
This is the October 2026 edition of the Home Asking Price Index, released on 21 October 2026, under the headline:
The average rises, the market stalls
The headlines and summary below are the report's own words, with the key figures as it published them, followed by the report's regional table.
Headlines
- The mix-adjusted average asking price is £398,910, up 1.03% over the month and up 1.63% over twelve months.
- Adjusted for inflation, asking prices are -1.8% on the year and have been negative for 17 consecutive months.
- Scotland is up 10.95% over the year. Greater London is down 1.25%, the only region lower than a year ago. The cheaper markets are carrying the national figure.
- New instructions are -1.8% against the same 28 days last year, and -6.4% against two years ago. Unsold stock is 559,948.
- Cheaper homes are selling and dearer ones are staying on the market, which lifts the average of what is left. In London, homes that sold averaged about £625,000, against £769,000 for new instructions.
- The typical time on market is 57 days against 29 a year ago. Greater London has slowed most, by 42 days, and the South West by 40.
Summary
Asking prices rose in October, but the market behind them is slowing: cheaper homes are finding buyers while dearer ones sit, stock is building, and the typical home now spends 57 days on the market against 29 a year ago.
The average asking price across England and Wales is £398,910, +1.03% over the month and +1.63% over the year. In cash terms the market has gone sideways for a year, close to its all-time high. Against inflation it has been losing ground steadily: real asking prices are -1.8% on the year, and have not been positive for 17 months.
Key figures
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average asking price | £398,910 |
| Monthly change | +1.03% |
| Annual change | +1.63% |
| Real annual change | -1.8% |
| Unsold stock | 559,948 |
| Unsold stock on the year | +5.2% |
| New instructions | -1.8% |
| Typical time on market | 57 days |
Figures are for England and Wales unless the report states otherwise, as published in the edition. Typical time on market covers Great Britain, for sales agreed 1 to 15 October 2026; a relisted home starts counting again.
Regional tables
The north and Scotland carry the market
| Region | Average asking price | 1 month | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | £240,712 | +1.69% | +10.95% |
| North East | £209,603 | +1.01% | +5.91% |
| North West | £293,756 | +1.16% | +5.16% |
| Wales | £288,336 | +0.75% | +4.58% |
| Yorkshire & The Humber | £274,142 | +1.16% | +4.10% |
| West Midlands | £316,268 | +0.51% | +3.12% |
| South East | £500,329 | +0.53% | +1.99% |
| East of England | £423,388 | +0.54% | +1.38% |
| East Midlands | £291,667 | +0.43% | +1.02% |
| South West | £391,902 | +0.72% | +0.53% |
| Greater London | £685,452 | +2.12% | -1.25% |
| England & Wales | £398,910 | +1.03% | +1.63% |
Read the full October 2026 edition
About the Home Asking Price Index
The Home Asking Price Index measures the change in the prices sellers ask for residential property across England, Wales and Scotland. Today it is computed every month from around half a million advertised homes and is mix-adjusted, so a change in what happens to be on the market does not move the figure; earlier editions state the sample they were built from. Because an asking price is set months before a sale completes, the index runs around five months ahead of completed-sale measures such as the UK House Price Index.
Every edition in the archive, back to October 2006, is listed on the index page. How we measure the UK property market explains the listing data behind it, and today's figures by area are on house prices and rental prices.
Text and figures above are quoted from the October 2026 edition as published, with punctuation normalised for the web, and are not revised. Later editions may restate them.
