According to data from TwentyEA, while 72.4% of homes went under offer during the same period – a rise on 63% seen in the first half of the year – the “scale of reductions” suggest agents are “consistently setting unrealistic prices”.
Ian Macbeth, co-founder of Avocado Property Agents, said the figures should “worry the industry”.
He continued: “If nearly two-thirds of properties need a price reduction, it shows we are getting it wrong too often. With more than 72% of homes finding buyers this summer, the market is not weak, but trust is being undermined by persistent over-pricing.”
Macbeth said the pattern is “even more concerning” when compared to previous years, as in 2024, only 54% of homes required a price cut.
“Rather than improving in their ability to guide sellers to realistic valuations, agents appear to be moving backwards,” he added.
£2.5m paid to help broker clients benefit from greener homes
Sponsored by Halifax Intermediaries
Macbeth said the data also “contradicts broader indicators” that suggest the housing market has been “broadly neutral” for much of 2025.
“That stability should have translated into more accurate pricing. Instead, inflated asking prices and subsequent reductions point to a growing mismatch between how homes are marketed and what buyers are prepared to pay,” he noted.
Looking at Avocado Property Partner Agents, 28.6% of the firm’s homes required reductions over the same period, and 80.5% went under offer.
“The numbers show there are plenty of buyers out there, but they will only commit if homes are marketed at the right level,” said Macbeth.
“Over-pricing delays transactions, damages client confidence, and creates unnecessary turbulence in a market that is otherwise steady.
“Our own experience shows that when pricing and marketing are handled correctly, far fewer reductions are needed, and far more sales are secured.
“Agents must take responsibility for guiding sellers towards realistic valuations from the very start,” he said.
