The UK housing market has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic - but does Bradford follow the trend?

Prices have fluctuated, the stamp duty holiday was introduced and the coronavirus pandemic forced us to reassess our living situation.

A spokesperson for the Ilkley branch of Dacre Son & Hartley Estate Agent gave their expert insight to the Telegraph and Argus.

They said: “People are now more focused on what they actually want in a house.

“Enquiries tend to be specific and people are pursuing the houses they want instead of the ones that will do.

Geographically, the spokesperson said people in West Yorkshire tend to be searching for more rural houses, away from the city.”

The number of property transactions made in Bradford

According to Land Registry, 2,831 property transactions have taken place in Bradford between January and September which is 32 per cent less than last year’s figures (4,188).

According to research by We Buy Any Home, West Yorkshire saw one of the biggest drops in house sale enquiries (down 41.8 per cent).

Bradford, in particular, saw a 55.1 per cent decline in house sale enquiries this year.

As you can see from the chart, property transactions were buoyant in January and 31 per cent higher than January 2019.

However, this figure gradually began to decline and saw a drastic dip when lockdown was announced in March.

Between March and April, property transactions dropped by 55 percent - which is unsurprising considering house viewings were cancelled and people were asked to stay at home.

Like the rest of the UK, Bradford experienced a mini housing boom between April and July and housing transactions rose by 97 per cent between April and June.

However, these figures are nowhere near as high as the previous summer’s; in fact, July’s figures are 35 per cent lower.

How house prices have changed in Bradford

According to the Dacre Son & Hartley representative, Bradford and the wider parts of West Yorkshire experienced house price growth over this last year.

They said: “House price growth has certainly taken place here over the last five or six months - which is extraordinary given the commentary at the beginning year that prices wouldn’t rise to this extent.”

House prices in Bradford have fluctuated a lot this year.

At the start of the year, the average house price was steadily rising - that was until March hit.

Between March and May, house prices plummeted by 3.5 per cent.

However, this all changed in the summer months when house prices began to rocket - and they haven’t stopped since.

In September 2020, house prices were 6.8 per cent higher than the September before.

What do the experts predict for the future?

As with many things in the current climate, experts say that the future of the property market is uncertain.

Mark Irwin, Marketing Director at WeBuyAnyHome said: “The property market, like the global economy, has gone through unprecedented changes in 2020 - and the truth is that no one can be exactly sure what will happen next.

“We anticipate lower value properties that don’t benefit from the stamp duty reduction to be more acutely impacted, especially as they tend to belong to lower income residents who may be more susceptible to job losses and need to sell as a result.”