High Weald Market Update, Christmas 2025 from Burnett's
As we start the festive season, we at Burnetts are pleased to share a warm and encouraging snapshot of the property market, both nationally and here in the High Weald. While recent weeks brought a fair amount of uncertainty, recent data offers reasons for optimism as we head into 2026.
What’s happening at a national level?
- According to the latest from Zoopla, with the uncertainty around the Autumn Budget now behind us, buyers and sellers across much of the UK are starting to feel more confident about making moves.
- South-east markets had seen some dip, but many other regions, especially outside the south continue to show healthy house-price growth: in many areas, prices are still rising at up to 3% annually.
- On the back of the 2025 Budget, proposed radical changes (like a new annual property tax) have been dropped, which has removed a big cloud of uncertainty hanging over the higher-value end of the market.
- While some new measures affect landlords, for instance, a planned 2 % increase in tax on property income starting 2027, for many homeowners, the clearer picture means better planning and more confidence.
Taken together, the national data suggests a stabilising market. Demand is returning, supply remains solid, and for those buying or selling outside the very high-value brackets, conditions are more favourable than many anticipated just a few months ago.
What this means for High Weald and the surrounding region
Here in the High Weald region, characterful, scenic, and beloved for its mix of rural calm and connectivity, the national trends map surprisingly well onto what we’re seeing locally:
- With many buyers stepping back from risky higher-value purchases, demand for well-priced homes in traditionally affordable and desirable rural areas has held up strongly.
- Steady demand plus reasonable supply means sellers who price realistically are getting good interest. It’s a good moment for families looking to settle, couples upsizing or downsizing, or people seeking a second home in the countryside.
- For possible landlords or investors, while tax changes do affect yields, the calmer overall market and rising interest in country living may still help properties here remain attractive — especially those appealing to long-term renters.
Why this feels like a good time to move
As your local estate agent, we see a few factors combining beautifully this Christmas season:
- Confidence: With the major tax-change threat gone and national data stabilising, people are beginning to treat the market as “normal” again, rather than holding off until “things settle.”
- Choice: More homes on the market, including some real gems, and less frantic competition at the high end. For buyers, that means a chance to find value.
- Equity and Opportunity: For sellers, homes that might have seemed too modest before are now drawing attention. For buyers, affordability, relative to wage earners and local incomes, remains fairly attractive outside overpriced hotspots.
- Stability: For many, the coming months look less about dramatic price swings and more about sensible, gradual growth, ideal for families, first-time buyers, or people planning a move in 2026.
What Burnetts can help you with
Whether you’re thinking of selling, buying, or renting out your property over the winter, or simply curious what your home might be worth, now’s a great time to talk. We can give you an honest, realistic assessment of current values in the High Weald, help you understand how national changes might affect you, and guide timing and strategy to make the most of the current climate.
From everyone at Burnetts, we wish you a peaceful, warm-hearted Christmas, and a happy start to the New Year. ��
Sources from Rightmove and Zoopla