Sam Butler’s Market Comment on the Cotswold Residential Property Market January 2023
Good News in the Residential Property Market!
We have begun to see a slight reduction in inflation, and the Bank of England now expects the base rate to be lower, than it had previously anticipated.
Despite the Bank of England’s rate rise at the end of last week to 4% being a 15 year high, as inflation is curbed, the Bank is predicting a milder and shorter recession than it previously indicated.
Whilst any increase in interest rates benefits savers and is detrimental to those with mortgages, fixed rate mortgages have been reducing ever since the change of premiership after the chaos engendered by the mini budget. Fixed rate mortgages are priced based on future expectations. As the expectation for the Bank of England base rate is nowhere near as high as previously thought, we are seeing falling fixed rates. In turn, this has a beneficial effect for those wishing to buy in the residential market.
We have launched several properties in the past couple of weeks, and it is quite apparent that there is sustained interest from buyers in the Cotswolds, from cottages to family homes. Some of this is the result of unsatisfied demand at the end of last year. In addition, as usual, people continue to need to upsize, downsize, move for work, or to move as a result of the three ‘D’s, death divorce or debt. The level of activity from registrations; enquiries; viewings and offers, reflects currently a healthy, active and solid residential property market in early 2023.
January Market Comment
January has seen us firmly up and running across the Cotswolds. Activity has been encouraging, with positive levels of interest and a busy start to the year. We have already agreed a good number of sales across our three offices in a range of different price points, which is a positive indicator of buyer intent following what was a very cautious 2025, with low confidence and many delays.
January Market Comment
Three Quintessential Cotswold Cottages – Full of Character & Charm
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there’s something undeniably romantic about the idea of escaping to a cosy Cotswold cottage. Think honey-coloured stone walls, crackling log fires and soft lamplight spilling across plush sofas - perfect for long conversations, shared glasses of wine and slow, unhurried mornings. In winter, the Cotswolds reveal a quieter kind of beauty, with misty lanes, frosted fields and snug village pubs just a gentle stroll away. It’s a setting steeped in charm and warmth, and utterly quintessential in its British appeal.
Three Quintessential Cotswold Cottages – Full of Character & Charm
EPC Regulations - UPDATE
The government has made the decision to delay the introduction of the new EPC Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for rental properties. Originally scheduled to change in 2028, the government have now delayed this until 2030.
EPC Regulations - UPDATE
Snowdrops in the Cotswolds: A Winter Highlight at Painswick
As winter begins to loosen its grip on the Cotswolds, one of the most uplifting signs of the changing seasons quietly emerges, snowdrops. These delicate white flowers, often pushing through frost-hardened ground, bring a sense of hope and renewal, and nowhere is this more beautifully displayed than the snowdrops at Painswick Rococo Garden.
Snowdrops in the Cotswolds: A Winter Highlight at Painswick
