Is it a buyer's or a seller's market right now?

The question sits behind almost every selling decision. The honest answer for autumn 2026 is that conditions still favour the buyer, although the gap has narrowed since the summer. That does not mean prices are tumbling; it means the balance of power at the negotiating table sits with the person making the offer.

What is a buyer's market, and what is a seller's market?

A buyer's market is when there are more homes for sale than there are active buyers, so buyers can take their time, negotiate harder and choose. A seller's market is the reverse, when buyers outnumber the homes available, so sellers can hold firmer on price and sales move faster. The UK swings between the two over the years, and it can differ street by street.

Are we in a buyer's or a seller's market in September 2026?

Most measures still point toward buyers, but the direction of travel has changed. Buyer enquiries have improved for five months running, while supply jumped at the start of September and borrowing became more expensive.

Read together, these say the same thing in different ways. A buyer today has more homes to pick from and a tighter budget, so a seller cannot rely on scarcity to push the price up. The indices differ because each measures a different stage: Rightmove counts asking prices, Nationwide and Lloyds use their own mortgage approvals, and the ONS counts completed sales.

What does a buyer's market mean if I am selling?

It raises the cost of getting the price wrong. In a seller's market an over-optimistic price can still find a buyer. In a buyer's market the home sits, the listing goes stale, and you often end up accepting less than a realistic price would have brought in the first place.

• Price to what is actually selling near you now, not to the peak of an earlier market or to the highest valuation you were quoted.
• Be wary of the agent who wins your instruction with the biggest number, because the highest valuation is not the same as the highest sale price.
• Present the home well, because with 16% more homes listed in a fortnight, buyers can afford to be fussy.
• Reward a committed buyer: a slightly lower offer from a buyer with a mortgage offer issued and nothing to sell can be worth more than a higher offer on a fragile chain.
• Check where your buyer's mortgage stands, since lenders repricing twice in September hits buyers who have not yet applied.

What does a buyer's market mean if I am buying?

It works in your favour on choice and negotiation, but higher rates cut into what you can borrow. Get your full mortgage application in once a purchase is agreed, so further repricing does not reduce your budget mid-sale. A well-priced home in a good spot can still go quickly, so move decisively on the right one.

Is the balance shifting back toward sellers?

Slowly on demand, not yet on price. Enquiries and sales expectations have improved since spring, and RICS respondents' twelve-month sales expectations turned positive at +6% in August. Against that, supply rose sharply in September and the average two-year fix is up 0.89 points since March, which holds prices back.

ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents. That matters most in a buyer's market, because it lets you compare what several agents would actually price your home at before you pick one on merit rather than on the biggest number.