UK homes selling at 22% below asking on average, Access Legal analysis of Land Registry data finds

Access Legal's analysis of HM Land Registry completions for September to November 2025 shows a 22% median gap between asking and sale prices, with 42 of 161 local authorities clearing 30% or more below asking. The mechanism: sellers anchored to pre-2022 valuations meet buyers whose budgets have shrunk on higher mortgage rates. For buyers, that's negotiating room on stale stock; for sellers, asking prices pegged to last year's comparables won't land. Caveat: the data pre-dates April's mortgage repricing, so the current gap could be wider.