But Halifax’s head of mortgages Amanda Bryden, said: “While this is welcome news for existing homeowners, affordability remains a significant challenge for many potential buyers still adjusting to higher mortgage costs.”
Despite a cut in UK interest rates, at 5% they remain at their highest since 2008 when the economy was on the cusp of the global financial crisis and some major banks faced collapse.
Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that while home loan deals improved following the rate cut – with the average two-year fixed rate mortgage falling from 5.77% to 5.54% – there “wasn’t a seismic shift”.
House prices rose by 0.3% in August, said Halifax, compared to 0.9% in July.
The Bank of England is forecast to cut interest rates again this year though it is not clear when. The Bank’s next meeting is on Thursday, 19 September.
Ms Bryden said: “With market activity picking up and the possibility of further interest rate reductions to come, we expect house prices to continue their modest growth through the remainder of this year.”
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