Blog / News

2025 was not a great one for the UK property market. Budgets, wars, economic and political uncertainty all conspired to derail what was otherwise a steady gently upward trajectory. Although, as ever, the market remained remarkably robust, the increase in supply from pressurised sellers compounded with a nervousness from potential buyers, leading to a glut in properties for sale. A slower sales cycle, significantly prompted by a reluctance to buy ahead of what could have been a ground-shaking November budget,…

As we enter a new year, many local homeowners are facing a familiar question. Should they bring their Melksham home to market in January, or wait until the late spring?  In recent conversations I have had with Melksham buyers, sellers, and buy-to-let landlords in the run-up to Christmas, one question kept cropping up in relation to that decision to move or not.    ‘What will happen to Melksham house prices in 2026?’    Some buyers, especially first-time buyers, worry they are about to purchase just before a potential downturn. Some homeowners want to…

As we hit the third week of December, the Melksham property market does slow down ready for the big day. It’s at this time of year, I like to work out the total value of every home in Melksham, and how that value has changed since 2010 (as that was the bottom of the market after the Credit Crunch). During those years, Melksham has gone through market cycles, mortgage booms, periods of national uncertainty, political shifts, and economic swings. Yet…

The Chancellor’s Autumn Budget has finally arrived after months of rumour, leaked ideas and speculation. Many households in Melksham had braced themselves for a sweeping new annual tax on homes above £500,000. That proposal has now been dropped, which removes the biggest cloud that had been hanging over the local market. Instead, the Government has opted for a more focused approach by introducing a new high value council tax surcharge that only applies to properties valued above £2 million. Alongside…

If you listened to the doom merchants, you would think first-time buyers (FTB) in Melksham had no chance at all. According to the loudest voices, buying a first home is impossible, the ladder has been pulled up, and the only people who buy their first homes today are lottery winners or those with wealthy parents. The story is always the same. Prices up, wages squeezed, and doors slammed shut. Yet when you scratch beneath the surface, the facts tell a…

The Autumn Budget delivered the expected changes to housing and taxation, although the impact will be felt more in sentiment than in immediate cost. The centrepiece was the new annual levy on homes worth more than £2m, due from 2028. Owners of £2m plus homes will pay more and the rest of us will pay more through the wider tax system. None of it was a surprise. The charges are £2,500 a year for homes above £2m and £7,500 for…

“From uncertainty to relief” says Richard in his post-budget update for Melksham homeowners and with much discussion around taxes there was no nasty surprises about the property market. However, there were two key takeaways from the budget which Richard delves into for you. If you would like to discuss the marketing of your home, reach out to Nigel and the team. https://youtu.be/V-zO6BtVF3g  

A study of this year’s property market and what will happen in 2026? With only a few weeks to go before the end of the year, as a Melksham estate and letting agent, I wanted to share what has happened in both the UK and Melksham property markets in 2025, analysing the trends for Melksham homeowners, home buyers and landlords alike… and then compare them to previous years. All statistics for each year are up to 16 November (to ensure…

We are delighted to announce our Christmas competition is BACK! We have once again teamed with our good friend Phil from I.D Newman Butchers over the road to give one lucky winner the chance to win a £100 Christmas Hamper. The competition runs from 18th November 2025 to 18th December 2025 with one lucky winner being selected at random and announced on social media shortly after. Our Question: What is your favourite Christmas song of all time? To enter, head…

In Richard's latest property market comment, he explains how a bumper Christmas could be on the cards for the housing market and especially after seeing recent reports of the market making a small rise in the last month. Watch his latest video to stay informed and if you are thinking of selling now or in the New Year, reach out to the team. We'd be happy to chat this through with you. https://youtu.be/BOmwlrm2Has

Some homes in Melksham fly off the market within weeks. Others sit for months, attract only a handful of viewings, then quietly disappear from the portals, unsold. The difference isn’t luck, it’s sellability. Would it surprise you that of the 10.94 million homes that have left UK estate agents books since January 2019, only 6.33 million (or 57.86%) sold and moved. The other 4.61 million came off the market unsold. This is the extent of the sellability issue. Looking more…

If you walk down almost any Melksham road or street, you will see the quiet signs of life playing out behind the front doors. Families growing. Kids leaving home. Kitchens are being refitted for the second or third time. Yet somewhere in that rhythm, every homeowner starts to feel it again ... the gentle itch to move. Nationally, that cycle is longer than most people think. Across the UK, there are around 28.5 million households, of which roughly 17.7 million are owner-occupied. On…

Yet never did. Here is why... If you have ever thought about selling your Melksham home, you will know how tempting it can be to stretch the asking price. After all, it is your biggest tax-free asset, and those extra few thousand pounds can feel like a sensible cushion. Yet in the Melksham property market, ambition can sometimes cost more than it earns. Over the past five and a half years, 1,506 Melksham homeowners have come away from the market…

As the Melksham property market shifts, more homeowners are facing the decision of when and by how much to adjust their asking prices. The choice can feel difficult, but in today's climate, it is often the difference between attracting a buyer or sitting unsold for months. The supply of homes for sale in Melksham has climbed sharply, from 188 in August 2022 to 258 in August 2025. With the increase in stock now available across SN12, the competition for buyers' attention is far…

In this month’s property market report from Richard, he talks about the current state of play in the housing market – from rising new listings to the uncertainty surrounding November’s Budget. Watch the video below to hear his full take on where things stand and what might be coming next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWo1gmiEH3s

The typical first-time buyer home in Melksham costs £259,377, which is a lot of money in anyone's book. For years, the housing affordability debate has been framed in terms of house prices compared to average incomes. That makes a neat headline, but it isn't how first-time buyers think. When you are weighing up your first home in Melksham, the question isn't "how many times my salary is the house worth?”. It’s “what slice of our take-home pay will the mortgage swallow…

The Numbers Every Melksham Homeowner Must See If you’re a Melksham homeowner or landlord thinking about selling in the next couple of years, the question on your mind is simple. How long will it take to find a buyer? New data on the 143 Melksham homes sold in the last 3 months has revealed some striking differences depending on the type of property and the number of bedrooms. On average, it takes 48 days to find a buyer. But dig…

With the summer now appearing to be behind us, we turn our attention to the Autumn property market and here's Richard to talk about where we are today and help guide us with what to expect in the months ahead. If you are considering a sale in 2027, you may want to start discussions sooner with your local friendly estate agent. https://youtube.com/shorts/oUetLL490l4?si=4KdvHYbwLgpOeCZc

Are you considering moving home in Melksham during the next 6 to 12 months? You may be a Melksham landlord deciding whether to grow your portfolio or sell off a few properties. Or you're a Melksham first-time buyer wondering if now is the right time to move. Understanding whether the current property market favours buyers or sellers is key to making the right call. If you follow my regular Melksham property updates, you'll know one of the most reliable ways…

A step-by-step guide for Melksham homeowners You want more space. The kitchen bleeds into homework time. The spare room became an office, then a dumping ground. The obvious answer used to be to extend. Yet over the last few years, the sums have changed. This is an article for Melksham homeowners who are weighing up an extension against moving. It gives you the maths, the practical snags, and a simple checklist so you can make a confident decision for your…

In the summer of 2020, Melksham's property market, like the rest of the UK, roared back to life after weeks of pandemic lockdown. It was a strange moment in history. The pause in the British housing market had created a bottleneck of pent-up demand, and when the doors reopened, homes that might have taken months to sell were suddenly attracting multiple offers in a matter of days. Average asking prices jumped sharply, fueled by a combination of limited supply, government…

If you’re a homeowner in Melksham thinking about selling, brace yourself for a bit of uncomfortable truth. There is a growing gap in our town between what Melksham home sellers want and what buyers are actually willing to pay. And the evidence for this is laid out, month after month, in cold, hard numbers. Since the summer of 2020, we’ve been tracking two key numbers: the average asking price of homes coming to market in Melksham, and the average sale price of homes that…

Once mocked as middle-of-the-road suburbia, Melksham's semi-detached homes have quietly become one of the strongest performers in the property market. Looking at Melksham house price data has given the humble semi the last laugh, with an astounding average price increase of 437% over the past three decades. This impressive rise in house prices has made the humble semis a wise investment and underscores their enduring appeal in the broader British housing market. This article will examine the appeal of semi-detached…

Here's Nigel with his latest update for the property market in August 2025. With the Bank of England cutting the interest rates this month, what is in store for those looking to make their next move or step onto the property ladder for the first time? If you would like to discuss the local property market in Melksham and/or selling your home this summer, reach out and book your valuation online. 

Here's Richard with an update on the property market for August and whilst many are away on their holidays, the property market is still in full swing. Estate agents are holding 8% more stock than we saw in 2024 but sales are up 14% on the pre-Covid average. https://youtube.com/shorts/b_eg8Qw0g4U?si=aq-_Nkdu2qJ_Bnni 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆? Book your valuation here online.

Why Melksham’s Under-34s Are Taking Longer to Buy a Home It’s no great revelation that young people in Melksham are finding it increasingly difficult to buy a home. Rising living costs, modest wage growth, and stricter mortgage lending rules have all contributed to a noticeable shift in the housing landscape. For many under 34, homeownership feels more like a long-term goal than a near-term reality. But just how challenging is the situation? And what might the future hold for younger…

Why it's back in fashion (and why it never really went out) In an age of towering new build flats and sprawling three-storey town homes, there is something refreshingly honest about a bungalow. No stairs. No split-level gimmicks. Just a simple, all on one level home that offers practicality, privacy, and increasingly, prestige. If you had asked the average house hunter a decade ago to rank their dream home, the bungalow might have appeared low on the list. Today, that…

As we are now half way through 2025, it's certain the Melksham housing market has been more restrained than the post pandemic 24 months of summer 2020 through to July/August of 2022, and I believe that the ‘steady as she goes’ outlook will continue into the rest of 2025 and beyond. As I always say in my Melksham property market updates, home ownership is a medium to long-term investment, so I feel it’s always important to measure what has happened…

Back in early 2023, several property commentators suggested the UK housing market might face a notable dip. Forecasts from Halifax, Savills and Nomura Bank ranged from an 8% to a 15% fall in prices. These predictions naturally caught the headlines at the time, but the reality has been far more balanced. According to the latest Land Registry data, UK house prices are actually 1.76% higher than they were in January 2023, with Melksham prices following closely behind at 1.62% up…

'Stable' and 'Active' are the two buzz words for the property market in July 2025. Here's Richard with a closer look at how things are for us as the weather hots up for us this summer. Looking to discuss selling your home in July? Reach out to us here online to get your valuation booked in. Watch Richard's latest video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/ke-EGFr52ZQ?feature=share

If you have ever thought about selling your Melksham home, chances are you have been tempted to push the asking price a little higher than advised. After all, it’s your biggest tax free asset. A few extra thousand on the asking price of your Melksham home sounds like a smart move, doesn’t it? But here’s the rub: in property, chasing too much can often mean getting nothing at all. Since the start of 2020, over 1,431 homes, listed for sale…

Over the past five years, Melksham's private rental market has experienced a significant growth in rents. The average monthly rent has increased from £855 in 2020 to £1,174 in 2025, representing a 37% rise. These local trends are interesting when compared with the national picture, where the average monthly rent increased from £1,331 in 2020 to £1,803 in 2025, a rise of 35%. Regionally, in the South West, the rent rose from £913 to £1,375, a 50% increase. Yet, as…

For many local Melksham homeowners, the jump from a 2-bedroom to a 3-bedroom home marks a major life milestone — a growing family, the need for a home office, or simply the desire for more space. But how much does that next bedroom really cost? I ran the numbers using regional averages, and the results are striking. On average, that third bedroom adds anywhere between £50,000 and £140,000 to the cost of a home, depending on where you live. While…

At first glance, that number stands out. More homes. More choice. But that's only half the story. Although the number of properties for sale locally has increased since 2022, the number of homes selling has also increased. Nationally, regionally and locally in Melksham, activity is up, prices are fluid, and buyer behaviour is evolving. This isn't just a market with more homes for sale; it's a market on the move. If you're buying, selling or just watching from the sidelines, the first…

We are delighted to welcome a new team member here at Lock & Key. Say hello to James Canty, Melksham born and bred and brings a real buzz of energy, a genuine love for property, and a passion for connecting people with the right place to call home. Read more about James here on his bio.  Nigel said "It's great to have James join our team. Being local was extremely important to the team because local knowledge is an important…

Nigel is back with an update on the Melksham property market as we get closer to completing the first half of the year. Watch what Nigel has to say about what he is noticing in the local market and he also introduces a new team member to Lock & Key. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It9aXt1US4Q

Activity, Activity, Activity is the name of the game for the month of June and here's Richard to explain in a little more detail in our June 2025 Property Market Comment. Watch Richard's video below and get in touch if you would like to book a valuation of your Melksham home. https://youtu.be/eZbYGSirg2Y

How do you beat those odds? When most people decide to put their Melksham home on the market, they assume one thing. That it will sell. After all, why wouldn’t it? You instruct an estate agent, the board goes up, photos appear on the portals and viewings get booked and offers made. Simples! Except it is not. Because what most Melksham homeowners never get told is the real probability of you selling and moving. Looking at every Melksham estate agent……

It surprises many people just how few £1 million homes actually sell. Just because a property carries a seven-figure price tag, it does not guarantee a successful move. Nationally, across all property price bands, around 54 percent of homes sell and complete. Yet for homes priced over £1 million, the picture changes sharply. Over the last two years, the highest success rate has been in Scotland, where 58.4 percent of £1 million homes successfully sold. This is partly due to the different legal system in…

If you are a Melksham homeowner or landlord and considering selling your Melksham property soon, you may have wondered how long it will take to find a buyer and sell. The time it takes to sell a home varies depending on location, property type, price range, bedrooms, and market conditions. For interested Melksham property owners, I have compiled the latest data and statistics for the 144 Melksham homes that have sold stc in the last 3 months, split down by…

The Hidden Crisis Facing the Area’s 50- and 60-Something Renters You’ve heard of retirement. But what about ‘rentirement’? It’s not a typo. It's a ticking time bomb. There are 8,661 households in Wiltshire, aged between their early 50s and mid-60s, renting privately, not owning the Wiltshire homes they live in. They're heading towards retirement age with no bricks and mortar, and the implications for them, their families, and Melksham's social and economic infrastructure are vast. Let’s call this what it…

Are you considering moving home in Melksham over the next 6 to 12 months? You may be a Melksham landlord deciding whether to grow your portfolio or sell off a few properties. Or you're a Melksham first-time buyer wondering if 2025 is the right time to move. Understanding whether the current property market favours buyers or sellers is key to making the right call. If you follow my regular Melksham property updates, you’ll know one of the most reliable ways…

Spring has well and truly sprung and the property market in May is healthy. Here's the latest update from Richard with his monthly property market update. Watch the video below and get in touch if you would like to discuss selling your home ahead of the summer. https://youtube.com/shorts/ovNRLZNxaNU?si=YVL4TK9qkYzGvIFX

The Bank of England has just reduced the base rate by 0.25% yesterday. But what does that really mean for the Melksham housing market? Here are six reasons why this is good news for homeowners and landlords. 1️. More Melksham First-Time Buyers Lower borrowing costs mean more affordable monthly payments. This could help Melksham first-time buyers step onto the ladder and bring extra energy to the Melksham property market. For example, a 0.25% drop on a £250,000 29-year mortgage will…

As we move into early summer 2025, Melksham's property market paints a bleak picture—especially for first-time buyers. Headlines scream that getting a foot on the ladder is harder than ever, and for many, that feels painfully true. With the average first-time buyer deposit in 2024 hitting a staggering £61,000, dreams of homeownership are slipping further out of reach. Soaring rents and the ever-rising cost of living have created a perfect storm. Young buyers are told to save more, spend less,…

In today’s Melksham housing market, property market data isn't just helpful – it's essential. For Melksham homeowners and landlords looking to buy or sell a home, understanding the latest Melksham property trends, buyer behaviour, or house pricing movements is the difference between making a confident move and flying blind. Data reveals where the market has been, where it’s heading, and how to position a home for success. It cuts through the noise, replaces guesswork with insight, and empowers better decisions…

As Melksham’s property market shifts and grows, sellers who've been on the market a while often face a tricky question: when to tweak the asking price—and by how much—to spark new interest. With the number of homes for sale in Melksham’s SN12 postcode jumping from 156 in March 2022 to 236 by March 2025, the playing field has become more crowded. That means smart, strategic pricing is now more important than ever if you want to stand out and get…

Understanding what’s really going on in the Melksham property market is key to cutting through the noise and seeing the true picture­—both locally and nationally. Despite the near constant doom and gloom headlines predicting a housing crash since September 2022, the stats tell a very different story. The British property market—and Melksham in particular—is holding up remarkably well. So, let’s investigate those property market stats, starting with the life blood of the housing market – new properties coming on to…

You might have heard that although annual house prices are about 2.8% up on this time last year, they dipped by 0.5% last month (Source Halifax). This is no means a pointer to a falling market, but is simply a short-term correction, as so many sales were brought forward during the SDLT stamp duty frenzy earlier in the year. There was huge activity to beat that deadline, including the busiest single day on record for completions so it was only…

In today’s Melksham property market, the Bank of Mum and Dad remains a powerful force — and it’s only grown more influential. For many first-time buyers in Melksham, parental help is not just a boost, it’s often the key to the front door. But is this a sign of generosity? Or a symptom of something much deeper going on in our housing system? In Melksham (SN12), the bank of Mum and Dad has given £2,296,609 in deposit contributions in the…