The
rise in house prices could grind to a halt next year, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has warned.
The trade body reckons the huge gap between incomes and property prices, tax changes and predicted interest rate rises will fuel the slowdown.
Tarrant Parsons, RICS economist, said: “Given these dynamics, price growth may fade to produce a virtually flat outturn for 2018.”
The Halifax is more upbeat, predicting property prices nationwide will go from either flat to 3% higher next year.
The bank believes, like now, there will be big regional variations, with prices London and the South East falling.