Analysts are still confident about the housing market in spite of the Gulf conflict. If you are investment planning in Cheshire or Oswestry, estate agents such as Rightmove are saying the war has yet to impact the UK property sector.
Housing is still a key driver of the British economy and across the UK, property agents have reported a promising start to 2026 sales, with the market staying resilient. Rightmove claims its most recent real-time daily market activity data reveals the number of house sales being agreed is barely 2% behind equivalent market activity this time last year, whilst it actually emerges 5% ahead of 2024.
This could suggest that people looking to move house are sticking with deals despite nervousness around potential upswings in fuel costs or mortgage rates. Additionally, the total number of new listings appearing on the market during this time works out at just 3% behind 2025, also beating 2024 by 7%.
Whilst it is too early to assess the effect of geopolitical events on the market, the early stats indicate that confidence has remained strong during the spring selling window. There is no concurrent evidence that buyer demand has fallen since the Iran war started.
Nor has the market been characterised by the sharp responses that followed previous events, such as changes to UK stamp duty or the increases in mortgage rates which made the news in September 2022. The question still remains whether there will be upward pressure on mortgages, with Rightmove’s daily tracker pointing to slight rises in the cost of average two-year mortgage rates.
