The website found that the average price was down £7,772 (-3.3%) month-to-month across the two countries. The biggest monthly falls came in the South West region where prices plummeted 5.3% while the West Midlands (-4.9%) and Greater London (-4.0%) areas also saw large falls.
The East Midlands was the only area of the country to post positive figures, with asking prices rising 0.8% during the month.
Compared to December 2011, asking prices have fallen across much of England and Wales. East Midlands, East Anglia and Greater London were the only areas to post increases in 2012.
Optimism for next year remains high after research from the BSA’s property tracker found that consumers are finding it easier to access finance for mortgages than for any time in the last four years.
Lack of ability to raise a deposit remained the biggest barrier to purchase for first-time buyers with 59% of potential homeowners unable to save enough to fund a deposit. Problems accessing mortgage finance and lack of job security were also said to be major issues.
Confidence in the wider market remained low with just 38% of people thinking it was a good time to purchase a house.
Rightmove said it anticipates a 2% rise in prices during 2013, with the majority of the growth driven by London.
It said prices would remain largely flat across northern regions although added that the average gap between final asking price and sold price tightened to 3.7% in 2012, a fall from 4.9% in 2011.
