Property sellers in Hexham and surrounding areas accepted an average of £11,804 less than their original asking prices over the past year, according to data that has prompted an estate agent to challenge claims that local house values are falling.
Property Solvers examined 111 transactions in the NE46, NE47 and NE48 postcode areas, comparing prices first advertised on property portals with final sale prices recorded by HM Land Registry. The transactions covered the period from September 2025 to September 2026.
The figures suggest a sizeable gap between initial expectations and the prices eventually achieved. However, William Thornton, head of residential agency at youngsRPS in Hexham, said that gap should not automatically be treated as evidence of a decline in the value of homes.
What the Hexham agent says the figures show
Mr Thornton said demand remained visible in the local market, with buyers registering with the agency and actively searching for properties in Hexham, the Tyne Valley and wider Northumberland.
“What we're seeing on the ground tells a rather different story.
He said one recurring frustration was that potential buyers had not yet found a property that met their needs. In his view, the difference between an original asking price and a final sale price can reflect how a property was priced at the outset, rather than a straightforward fall in its underlying value.
“It's interesting data, but a gap between an original asking price and an eventual selling price isn't the same thing as a fall in property values.”
Mr Thornton said sellers sometimes use pricing strategies that create a gap between the first advertised figure and the eventual agreed price. He argued that the local evidence needed to be read alongside broader market measures rather than in isolation.
Northumberland prices and buyer demand
Data from the Office for National Statistics and HM Land Registry was cited as showing that average property prices in Northumberland reached £213,000 in July this year. That was reported as a 7.3 per cent increase compared with the same month a year earlier.
Rightmove, meanwhile, reported that asking prices across the North East rose by 2.7 per cent over the same period. It also recorded a 7 per cent increase in buyer demand at the start of September.
Those figures do not remove the need for sellers to price homes carefully. Mr Thornton said buyers now had more choice and were taking a more considered approach than they had several years ago.
“The market has changed. Buyers have more choice and are more considered than they were a few years ago, but from what we are seeing, demand is still there.”
He said some homes would need price adjustments, but advised sellers to concentrate on realistic valuations, effective marketing and advice grounded in knowledge of the local market.