The subject of housing has become something of a national obsession, with the press devoting endless column inches to both the housing market and other property-related issues. The plethora of surveys and reports that are published every month maintains a fever-pitch approach to this coverage.

Many homeowners now view themselves as ‘experts’ on the housing market in their particular area of the country. At least, they can tell you the price of every property that has come up for sale in their town or village over the last three months. Ironically, in some ways this perception is actually not far from the truth, as the whole concept of a national housing market is very much a misnomer. Instead, the national picture is simply an amalgamation of the many and varied local housing markets which often act in complete isolation from the rest of the country.

The subject of housing has become something of a national obsession, with the press devoting endless column inches to both the housing market and other property-related issues. The plethora of surveys and reports that are published every month maintains a fever-pitch approach to this coverage.

Many homeowners now view themselves as ‘experts’ on the housing market in their particular area of the country. At least, they can tell you the price of every property that has come up for sale in their town or village over the last three months. Ironically, in some ways this perception is actually not far from the truth, as the whole concept of a national housing market is very much a misnomer. Instead, the national picture is simply an amalgamation of the many and varied local housing markets which often act in complete isolation from the rest of the country.

This report aims to provide an analysis and assessment of some of the key housing-related issues that are currently affecting the UK property market. In order to gain a greater appreciation of these important themes, exclusive consumer research is used to shed new light on a number of salient issues concerning homes, housing and property. Establishing the impact of further base rate rises upon households’ ability to maintain their mortgage repayments, and assessing people’s future intentions with regards to moving home, it also highlights the key factors which ultimately affect people’s choice of where they decide to live.