Rightmove's September 2026 House Price Index puts the average asking price for a new listing at £367,440, up 0.7% (£2,441) this month, the first monthly rise since May. The same report shows the number of homes for sale at a 12-year high for the time of year, with buyer enquiries running 9% below last September.
The practical signal for sellers across the patch is that a modest autumn bounce in prices does not mean buyers have stopped being choosy. With this much stock on the market, only 61% of new listings found a buyer in September, so pricing correctly from day one matters more than the headline rise suggests.
What does Rightmove's September 2026 data actually show?
September's 0.7% rise is slightly ahead of the average September increase of 0.5% recorded over the past decade, an early sign of the usual pick-up in activity that autumn brings. Even so, asking prices remain 0.8% below where they stood a year ago and 2.3% lower than at the start of the summer, after several months of declines. As of September 2026, the market is recovering from a subdued summer rather than turning a corner.
In their words
“a welcome sign of confidence after a particularly subdued summer”
Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove, on September's above-average price rise.
Why is stock at a 12-year high, and what does that mean for sellers?
More homes are sitting on the market for this time of year than at any point in the past twelve years, according to Rightmove. That is the real story behind the modest price rise: sellers are not short of competition. Buyer enquiries and agreed sales are both down 9% on last September, so the buyers who are active have more choice than usual, and they are using it. A property that looks overpriced next to similar homes nearby gets scrolled past rather than booked in for a viewing.
What does this mean for Huntingdon, Brampton and Godmanchester?
Rightmove's regional breakdown this month did not isolate the East of England, so we are cautious about reading national figures straight onto the patch. What we can say from valuing homes across Huntingdon, Brampton and Godmanchester this autumn is that the national pattern rings true locally too: well-presented, realistically priced homes are still moving quickly, while anything carried over from a summer asking price is sitting. With the Local Plan consultation putting the scale of future housebuilding across the district back in the news, buyers are increasingly aware they have options, both today and down the line.
What should sellers in the patch do this autumn?
Price against what is actually selling nearby, not what a neighbour asked for in the spring. In a market with this much choice on offer, a home priced in line with recent comparable sales draws viewings in the first fortnight; one that needs a price cut a month in has already lost momentum with the buyers who saw it first. Our estate agents in Huntingdon cover Brampton, Godmanchester and the wider patch, and can talk you through pricing for your specific street. A free valuation gives you a live, evidence-based starting point before you commit to a figure.
What does this mean if you're buying now?
Buyers have more room to negotiate than the 0.7% headline suggests. With only 61% of new listings finding a buyer nationally, sellers who genuinely need to move are open to a conversation on price, particularly on anything that has been on the market since summer. Run your numbers through the stamp duty calculator first, then talk to your broker about locking in a rate. We covered the mortgage side of the equation last month, when Nationwide cut its fixed rates again.
Watch this date
5 November 2026: the Bank of England's next rate decision
The Monetary Policy Committee held Bank Rate at 3.75% on 16 September 2026, by a narrowing 6-3 vote. Markets are now pricing November as the more likely meeting for a move, which would feed through to mortgage pricing across the patch.