August 2026 Property Market Update: Keighley Continues to Outperform the National Picture

If you have seen some of the national property headlines this week, you could be forgiven for thinking that the housing market has suddenly taken a significant turn for the worse.

Rightmove's latest House Price Index, released on 17 August, reports that the average asking price of a newly listed property across Great Britain has fallen by 2.0% this month, equivalent to £7,360, taking the national average asking price to £364,999. That is the largest August fall recorded since 2018. Average new seller asking prices are also now 1.0% lower than they were this time last year.

However, as we regularly point out, there isn't really one single UK housing market. Property is heavily influenced by local affordability, supply, demand and the type of homes available – and the picture here in Keighley and the surrounding Aire and Worth Valleys is noticeably more positive than the national headline suggests.

The North is performing better than the South

One of the most important findings in Rightmove's latest report is the widening divide between northern and southern England.

Average new seller asking prices across the north of England are 1.5% higher than a year ago, while those in southern England are 1.8% lower. London has seen the largest annual reduction at 3.1%.

Here in Yorkshire and the Humber, the average asking price is currently £255,956. Prices have fallen by 1.5% during the latest month – something that is fairly typical during the quieter summer period – but remain 0.9% higher than a year ago. Rightmove also reports that properties in the region are currently taking an average of 62 days to find a buyer.

So while sellers certainly cannot afford to be complacent, the Yorkshire market is not experiencing the same level of downward pressure being reported in some of the more expensive parts of the country.

What is happening to property prices around Keighley?

The local sold-price figures make the difference even clearer.

According to Rightmove, properties sold in Keighley over the last year achieved an overall average price of £230,270, with sold prices around 3% higher than the previous year. Terraced homes averaged £174,207, semi-detached properties £235,224 and detached homes £369,773.

There are also some significant differences between individual parts of our local market.

In BD21, covering much of central Keighley and surrounding neighbourhoods, the average sold price over the last year is £141,187, around 6% higher than the previous year.

Over in BD22, which includes areas such as Oakworth, Haworth and surrounding villages, the average is considerably higher at £223,200, with sold prices around 8% higher than the previous year.

Looking at some individual locations:

• Haworth: average sold price £237,748, 17% higher than the previous year.
• Oakworth: £214,129, around 2% higher.
• Silsden: £266,557, around 5% higher.
• Bingley: £263,084, around 5% higher.

These figures need to be treated with some caution because the mix and number of properties sold can significantly affect averages, particularly in smaller villages. Nevertheless, they demonstrate why national house-price headlines should never automatically be applied to the Keighley market.

The latest official figures provide further evidence of this relative resilience. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average property price across the Bradford district was £187,000 in May 2026, 5.6% higher than a year earlier. That compares with annual growth of 4.3% across Yorkshire and the Humber.

More choice means sellers still need to get the price right

There is, however, an important warning for anybody thinking of selling.

Rightmove says the number of properties currently available for sale nationally is at a 12-year high for this time of year. Buyers therefore have considerably more choice, and that means sellers are competing harder for attention.

This is perhaps the most important message to take from the latest report.

A reasonably strong local market does not mean that every property will sell at any price.

Buyers are doing their homework. They can quickly compare similar properties online, see previous sold prices and identify homes which have been sitting on the market for several months. An inflated initial asking price can therefore be counterproductive.

A property that is realistically priced from the outset has a much better opportunity to generate early interest, viewings and ultimately competing buyers. Rightmove itself makes the point that sellers who enter the market at a competitive price give themselves a significantly stronger chance of securing a buyer and successfully completing their move.

That doesn't mean undervaluing a property. It means understanding what buyers are genuinely prepared to pay in the current local market and setting a price that encourages activity rather than simply testing an optimistic figure.

Buyers are beginning to return

There are some encouraging signs for the autumn market too.

Rightmove has recorded a 5% increase in buyer demand since 20 July, although overall buying activity remains around 10% below the level recorded this time last year. The portal suggests this improvement could help produce a busier autumn following a relatively subdued summer.

Mortgage costs remain one of the main constraints. The average two-year fixed mortgage rate tracked by Rightmove is currently 5.09%, compared with 4.95% a month earlier, although there are indications that lenders may have some scope to reduce rates over the coming weeks.

Rightmove has consequently revised its forecast for national new seller asking prices during 2026 from its previous prediction of 2% growth to somewhere between 0% and -2% for the year as a whole.

Again, though, that is a national forecast, and the regional data shows why it should not be viewed as a prediction that every home in Keighley will fall in value.

What does this mean if you're thinking of selling in Keighley?

For homeowners in Keighley, Oakworth, Haworth, Oxenhope, Cross Roads, Riddlesden, Silsden, Steeton, Bingley and the surrounding areas, the current market is much more nuanced than some of the national headlines suggest.

Local sold prices have generally proved resilient, affordability remains considerably better than in many southern parts of England, and well-presented homes in desirable locations can still attract strong interest.

But there is also more competition.

For anyone considering coming to the market this autumn, accurate pricing from day one is going to be increasingly important. The days of simply adding another £10,000 or £20,000 to an asking price "to see what happens" are unlikely to produce the best result in a market where buyers have plenty of alternatives.

A good valuation should therefore look well beyond a generic online estimate. Recent comparable sales, competing properties currently on the market, condition, position, property type and – particularly in our area – differences from one street or village to the next all need to be taken into account.

Thinking of selling?

If you're considering selling your property in Keighley or the surrounding area, we would be happy to provide an up-to-date assessment of its value and discuss how we would position it in the current market.

The national market may have cooled, but the latest figures show that our part of West Yorkshire is continuing to hold up comparatively well. The key for sellers now is being realistic, competitive and properly advised from the outset.