Number moving house falls to 2016 levels

The number of people moving home in Scotland has returned to 2016 levels following a brief growth spell last year.

Only15,300currenthomeowners moved home in the first half of 2018 – 3,100 fewer than a year earlier.

The Bank of Scotland’s Homemoverreviewfound the average price paid by homemovers has grown by 21 per cent over the past five years, from £172,881 in 2013 to £209,496 in 2018. However, this is still below the UK average.

Graham Blair, Bank of Scotland mortgage director, said: “Despite an uplift in the number of people moving in 2017, the homemover market has stagnated in the first half of this year. The low availability of the ‘right type’ of homes for those looking to move up the housing ladder may have constrained market activity.”