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Housing market activity has ramped up compared with summer 2024, bucking the usual seasonal slowdown, according to a property website.

But despite the more bustling market, Zoopla’s house price forecast for 2025 has halved, with the website saying that buyers are factoring increased stamp duty costs into their offers.

Buyer demand is 11 per cent higher compared with a year earlier, accompanied by an eight per cent increase in agreed sales, Zoopla said.

Its figures compared the four weeks to June 20 2025 with the same period in 2024.

The website said buyers have been looking to finalise deals before the August holidays slowdown.Recent changes to the way lenders assess mortgage affordability have been supporting housing market activity, it said. The changes, which followed clarification from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will enable some mortgage borrowers to take out bigger loans.

But Zoopla added that higher stamp duty costs in England and Northern Ireland, following the end of temporary reliefs in April, are acting as a drag on house price inflation.

Buyers will be looking to reflect increased stamp duty costs in what they offer for homes, it said.

Due to higher house prices, stamp duty costs tend to have a bigger effect on buyers in southern England than in other areas, Zoopla added.

The average UK house price was put at £268,400 — 1.3 per cent higher than a year earlier.

Although price growth is up from 0.4 per cent last June, it has nearly halved from the 2.1 per cent seen just six months ago in December 2024, according to the report.

Scotland, Wales and northern England are generally experiencing faster house price inflation, typically between two per cent to three per cent annually, Zoopla said.It said Northern Ireland is a “standout,” with prices up by 6.1 per cent (June 2025) and by 7.8 per cent (December 2024) in Belfast, albeit from a lower base.

Southern England is seeing the weakest price inflation, ranging from 0.2 per cent in the South East and London to 0.3 per cent in the South West.

Truro, Torquay and Exeter are registering some of the biggest price falls outside of London, with declines of 1.3 per cent, 1.2 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively, the report added.

Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “We’re seeing healthy levels of demand and sales, but this isn’t sparking faster price inflation.

“In fact, more homes for sale, particularly across southern England, is re-enforcing a buyer’s market, keeping price rises in check. Many more home buyers are paying stamp duty since April and want this extra cost reflected in the price they pay.