Good evening, I hope you are having a decent Wednesday. Many of us have moved house during lockdown (yours truly included). But the moving madness since the pandemic began seems to be easing with news that house prices have, perhaps inevitably, taken a slight downward turn. The stamp duty holiday deadline, which was extended from the original March date, will remain fully in place until the end of June and then be tapered until October 1, when it will revert to normal levels. But as it takes many months to see a property sale through, it looks like many would-be sellers and buyers are becoming more cautious and perhaps the gradual reduction of Covid restrictions and glimpses of a more ‘normal’ life are also slowing the urge for fresh scenery. The average UK house price fell by £5,000 in April after reaching a record high in March, according to official figures. Here in the North West, the average house price (according to Land Registry figures for June 2021) is £183,299 which is 11.8 per cent up since March 2020 but down by 2.6 per cent since April this year. Despite this, it seems many of us are on the move and that our taste for change, inspired by lockdown, is going nowhere. Catch up with all the latest on the website, and as always thanks for supporting your local news titles online. Kind regards, Nicola Adam Editor Blackpool Gazette Associate Editor Lancashire Post |