Biggest recession bounce-backs in property price since the last market crash

Despite fears of a property market crash due to Covid,  house prices are at an all-time high and the latest research by property developer, StripeHomes, has revealed which pockets of the market are currently fighting fit based on house price growth since the last market crash.

Biggest market declines

Back in Q3 of 2007, the average UK house price peaked at a high of £189,503. However, when the market crashed, property values fell consistently before bottoming out at £155,701 during the first quarter of 2009; an -18% drop.

The market crash was felt the most in Northern Ireland where the average property price declined by -38%, while the South East (-19%), South West (-18%), East Midlands (-18%) and East of England (-17%) also saw some of the largest declines.

Biggest market bounce backs

However, over a decade later the average UK house price now sits at £240,349 having climbed 54% from when the market bottomed out in 2009, with property values now 27% higher than their pre-recession peak.

London

London has seen the greatest revival of all UK regions. The capital saw house prices fall by 16% during the recession. Today, the London market has bounced back to an average value of £490,620, 96% higher than the recession low of £250,068 and 65% higher than its pre-recession peak of £297,254.

No surprise then, that the best bounce back property markets are largely located within the capital. Waltham Forest has seen the largest bounce back since the recession, with house prices now 118% higher when compared to their 2009 low and 97% more than their pre-recession peak in 2007.

Haringey, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Islington, Lewisham, Hackney and Newham have also seen property values increase by more than 100% since the recession. Hackney has seen the largest improvement when compared to pre-recession highs, with house prices now 97% higher compared to their 2007 peak.

Outside of London

The East of England (74%), South East (72%), South West (55%) and East Midlands (55%) have also seen the largest increases in property values since the recession, with house prices between 27% and 43% higher than their pre-recession peaks.

Cambridge has seen the largest recovery outside of London, with house prices bouncing back 94% since 2009; now 62% higher than their pre-crash peak. Some of the other largest recoveries outside of the capital include Bristol (91%), Oxford (86%), Epsom and Ewell (85%) and Hertsmere (85%).

Yet to bounce back

Just Northern Ireland has failed to recover, with house prices climbing just 2% since the recession, although they remain -36% below their pre-recession peak.

While house prices in the North East have also climbed 13% since the market bottomed out in 2009, they also remain -4% below their market high seen in 2007.

Managing Director of StripeHomes, James Forrester, commented:

“There will be generations of UK homebuyers who will have known nothing other than upward house price growth, but those slightly longer in the tooth will have experienced at least one decline in the value of their bricks and mortar during their lifetime.

“However, the resilience of the UK property market and the cyclical nature of house price growth means that the market has well and truly bounced back, with all but a very small segment reaching new house price highs. 

“Not only have the ghosts of the financial crash been laid to rest but house prices have far exceeded their pre-recession peaks and this demonstrates that, by and large, the property market remains the safest investment you can make during your lifetime.”

 

Change in average house price between their pre-recession peak, recession low and current market high
Location Pre-recession house price peak < Change (%) > Recession house pricelow < Change (%) > Current average house price Current average price vs 2007 market peak
London £297,254 -15.9% £250,068 96.2% £490,620 65.1%
East of England £208,049 -17.4% £171,803 73.7% £298,381 43.4%
South East £236,702 -18.7% £192,481 72.1% £331,192 39.9%
South West £211,392 -18.3% £172,800 55.2% £268,267 26.9%
East Midlands £158,821 -17.8% £130,503 55.2% £202,486 27.5%
West Midlands Region £164,912 -16.0% £138,489 49.0% £206,366 25.1%
Wales £148,908 -16.7% £124,051 38.4% £171,679 15.3%
North West £150,994 -16.3% £126,355 37.6% £173,872 15.2%
Yorkshire and The Humber £149,645 -16.4% £125,049 37.2% £171,573 14.7%
Scotland £142,465 -13.1% £123,735 26.7% £156,770 10.0%
North East £138,747 -15.2% £117,670 13.1% £133,030 -4.1%
Northern Ireland £224,670 -37.6% £140,190 2.2% £143,205 -36.3%
England £194,151 -17.1% £160,990 59.8% £257,270 32.5%
United Kingdom £189,503 -17.8% £155,701 54.4% £240,349 26.8%
House price data sourced from the Land Registry House Price Index, recession market timeline based on ESRC.

 

Largest increases in average house price between recession low and current market value
Location Pre-recession house price peak < Change (%) > Recession house price low < Change (%) > Current average house price Current average price vs 2007 market peak
Waltham Forest £242,826 -14.6% £207,396 118.1% £452,404 86.3%
Haringey £318,233 -17.0% £264,123 113.6% £564,248 77.3%
Kensington and Chelsea £785,678 -19.6% £631,375 112.7% £1,342,765 70.9%
Lambeth £313,070 -16.9% £260,247 108.3% £542,167 73.2%
Islington £408,718 -19.4% £329,450 107.2% £682,537 67.0%
Lewisham £233,600 -11.5% £206,824 106.0% £426,035 82.4%
Hackney £302,432 -3.6% £291,446 104.4% £595,622 96.9%
Newham £231,833 -18.4% £189,072 100.5% £379,104 63.5%
City of London £468,253 -15.1% £397,633 97.8% £786,424 67.9%
Southwark £296,194 -12.5% £259,218 96.2% £508,678 71.7%
Timeline Q3, 2007 Q1, 2009 Q3, 2020
House price data sourced from the Land Registry House Price Index, recession market timeline based on ESRC.

 

 

Largest increases in average house price between recession low and current market value outside of London
Location Pre-recession house price peak < Change (%) > Recession house price low < Change (%) > Current average house price Current average price vs 2007 market peak
Cambridge £274,215 -16.5% £229,054 94.4% £445,202 62.4%
City of Bristol £193,214 -19.8% £155,048 90.9% £296,011 53.2%
Oxford £276,236 -18.4% £225,367 86.3% £419,858 52.0%
Epsom and Ewell £309,661 -17.5% £255,325 84.8% £471,737 52.3%
Hertsmere £293,145 -13.8% £252,701 84.6% £466,448 59.1%
Slough £196,310 -16.8% £163,371 83.7% £300,149 52.9%
St Albans £331,469 -14.3% £284,157 82.7% £519,180 56.6%
Elmbridge £397,237 -18.2% £324,783 82.5% £592,733 49.2%
Brighton and Hove £253,409 -19.1% £205,004 82.5% £374,119 47.6%
Trafford £197,574 -15.6% £166,688 82.2% £303,650 53.7%
Timeline Q3, 2007 Q1, 2009 Q3, 2020
House price data sourced from the Land Registry House Price Index, recession market timeline based on ESRC.

 

Kindly shared by StripeHomes

Main article photo courtesy of Pixabay