Why Yorkshire’s property market is staying strong amid uncertainty - Tim Waring
Last week I had 47 phone calls plus a raft of emails to address during a 10 hour working day.
It isn’t an unusual occurrence for many in the estate agency world at the present time but perhaps not for the reasons you might think.
The widely reported events in the Middle East might be creating an air of hesitation for those who are contemplating selling. However, for those already committed to the process, the rush to move house before Easter seems to be a strong as ever and the underlying reason for the forementioned long hours.
Interestingly this week has been equally busy and a timely reminder of the old adage ‘safe as houses’. The stock market might go up and down, oil prices likewise, interest rates stagnate when expected to drop, and in the first few months of 2026, sunshine all but disappeared from Yorkshire.
But what I have found telling is that very few of the sales agreed 10 –12 weeks ago, so before all of the above, have actually fallen through. In many cases it has been the complete opposite, witness the determination of buyers and sellers alike to exchange contracts before Easter and, this year, before the end of the tax year.
Some might consider this level of activity is seasonally driven but I beg to differ. We are only halfway through a decade that has already had a series of unprecedented events (Covid, Ukraine and now Iran) yet throughout this period there has been one constant across Yorkshire, namely a stable and at times thriving housing market. Yes, there have been some bumps in the road, and maybe the market short term has just hit one, but it won’t last. It never does in my experience, which is longer than I care to admit.
What my longevity has witnessed is the remarkable ability of the housing market to sustain itself during periods of uncertainty, often without realising – and that is where I perceive we are at present.
I understand the caution in some quarters, with a reluctance to offer a home for sale when traditionally it would be the opposite as we head into spring. However, it is my contention that those who are hesitating are actually helping to underpin the current marketplace because it means potential buyers have less choice as a result, and consequently we are finding said buyers are still willing to make sensible offers for houses that are correctly priced.
If they don’t, they miss out only to find only to find they have few alternatives to consider because spring 2026 has yet to see an influx of new instructions coming to the open market.
Now we have a situation where short-term concerns have the potential to constrain normal trading conditions. Perhaps it is therefore timely to remind readers that home ownership is a long-term commitment, other asset classes are not, witness their rollercoaster over recent years.
My hope, like many estate agents and developers, is that when homeowners reflect on my logic, they will realise that maybe now is the time to put your house up for sale, you could well be surprised by the level of interest. If you hold off, do not be surprised when there is more competition from others who also decide to sell later in the year. As they say safe as houses.
Tim Waring, is a prime residential property agent at GSC Grays estate agents, gsccgrays.co.uk