House Price Records Broken in North and West Northamptonshire
- House prices in Northamptonshire are 5% & 4.8% higher than one year before.
- Lowest July on record for sales volume, as market recovers from April's SDLT changes.
- New builds are now worth 57% and 55% more than pre-existing properties.
- New builds were up 14% & 16% despite pre-existing homes up only 2% & 5%, YoY to September.
- Record-breaking summer for house prices, with North Northamptonshire peaking at £260,679 in August, and West Northamptonshire peaking at £296,343 in September.
- Towcester remains the county's most expensive town to buy a home, 56% more costly than Corby.
- Wooton has the lowest crime rate.
- North Northamptonshire has the greatest 10-year property price growth. Year-on-year, it's West Northamptonshire.
- Across the East Midlands, house prices are expected to increase 19% over the 5 years to 2029 (Savills).
Are house prices going up in Northamptonshire?
Average house prices have grown 5% in West Northamptonshire and 4.8% in North Northamptonshire since the same time last year.
Both halves of the county peaked this summer, in September and August, respectively. Typically, we see a slight seasonal drop towards the end of the year, but it is highly likely that both unitary authorities will set new record highs in 2026.
Worst July on record for volume of property sales in Northamptonshire
Only 731 property sales went through in the whole of Northamptonshire in July. For context, a 'normal' July would be 1,260. The Stamp Duty Change caused this, as everyone rushed to complete their purchases before the end of March, leaving a vacuum in April.
However, there has been strong month-on-month sales growth since April, showing increasing activity. The Land Registry publishes this data with a delay of three to four months. As we predicted, sales have been highly active across the country this summer, and we expect the data to reflect this as it catches up.
Rising inflation and affordability challenges will continue to limit movement in the property market. The hype around the autumn budget further dampened the usual seasonal decline. The next few months will depend on whether the Bank of England bring the cost of borrowing down to encourage buyers and movers alike.
Will there be a UK recession in 2025/6?
Bank of England policymaker Alan Taylor has warned that the UK economy is at a growing risk of “a bumpy landing”.
"..where inflation undershoots, and goes below target in late 2026, and the economy moves into a weakened state for a sustained period, with output and employment below potential, leading to undue damage to economic activity."
How does the Bank of England affect the Northamptonshire Housing Market?
Borrowing has been slowly returning to a more affordable level. The expected cut to 3.75% in December means that mortgage rates are lower heading into the new year, allowing buyers to spend more, driving growth in both price and sales volume.
Prices steadily increase as borrowing costs fall, making purchases more affordable. Oxford Economics predicts the base rate will fall to 2.5% in 2027.
Are you thinking of buying or selling a property in Northamptonshire?
West Northamptonshire has the most active relative property market YoY
Sales volume across the county had more or less recovered from COVID by 2024. But, the changes to SDLT made in April have had a lasting effect on the volume of property sales in Northamptonshire throughtout 2025. West Northamptonshire, at -28%, fares three percentage points better than North Northamptonshire, at -31%.
Both halves of the county, however, are more active, relatively, than the East Midlands region, and England and Wales as a whole, both down by 34% year-on-year.
Are houses in Northamptonshire expensive?
Average property prices in West Northamptonshire follow closely in line with the national average for England and Wales, often creeping higher. North Northamptonshire is less expensive, but remains above average for the East Midlands.
Houses in Towcester (£372,600) are the most expensive, on average. House prices in Brackley (£342,052) and Desborough (£287,747) are also more expensive than the average house price across England and Wales. Every other town in the county is more expensive than the average for the East Midlands, excluding Corby.
Where is the cheapest place to buy in Northamptonshire?
House prices in Corby are 36% more affordable than the most expensive town of Towcester, 17% cheaper than the average home in England & Wales, and 2% less than the East Midlands average.
North Northamptonshire is cheaper than West Northamptonshire across every property type. Interestingly, although houses in North Northamptonshire are more expensive than the East Midlands average, flats and maisonettes are cheaper. In West Northamptonshire, semi-detached and detached houses are more expensive than the national average, but terraced houses, flats and maisonettes are cheaper.
Long-term Northamptonshire property market investment
Property prices in North Northamptonshire are up 63.5% over ten years, a healthy 19.2 percentage points higher than the 44.3% growth across England and Wales. West Northamptonshire, at 46.1% growth, is higher than the national average, but falls below the 55.9% growth for the East Midlands region.
New homes in Northamptonshire are now over 57% and 55% more expensive than existing properties
New homes typically cost more, much like buying a brand-new car. The gap in both halves of Northamptonshire has reached record highs of 57% (West) and 55% (North), meaning you can now buy one and a half existing houses for the price of a new one, with change.
Interestingly, other regions are being affected to greater extremes, with new builds in the North East reaching an eye-watering 118% gap.
The average cost of a new build in Northamptonshire rose by 14% and 16% in the past 12 months.
If you exclude newly-built properties, you can see that house prices in Northamptonshire have been fairly static for the past two years. The average price of existing homes in both halves of the county is yet to beat their 2022 peaks.
House prices may fall slightly over the winter, but with prices stable and significant growth predicted by Savills, this winter is the perfect time to buy, before prices begin to climb again.
Where are the safest places to live in Northamptonshire?
Northamptonshire overall has a crime rate of 48 crimes per 1,000 residents, well below the national average crime rate, which is 72. The most prevalent type is Violence and Sexual Offences, which is typical, and the crime rate for this type in the county is lower than the regional and national rates.
The Crime Risk scores are calculated by taking the severity of each crime type into account; the 5-year trend shows the crime risk down by 38 points, and over ten years it's down by 11 points.
Every type of crime has a lower rate compared to the UK average, except for possession of weapons, which is 6% higher. Crime rates can affect your insurance premiums and potential rental yield, and may also impact your peaceful enjoyment of the property.
Northampton is the most dangerous. The next most dangerous is Corby, and Kettering comes in as the third most dangerous. There are safer parts of Northamptonshire, identified using the same Crime Risk measurement, starting with Wellingborough, which ranks as the safest area in Northamptonshire, followed by Daventry in second place, and Rushden in third place.
Source: CrimeRate
Should I buy a house in Northamptonshire?
- Manageable price growth.
- Countryside charm.
- Historic market towns.
- Modern housing developments.
- Excellent schools.
- Transport links to London, Birmingham, and Oxford.
- Around 4-5% rental yields.
- Employment opportunities in diverse fields, including manifacturing, Logistics and Distribution, Food and Drink Production, Motorsport and High-Performance Technology, and Creative Industries.
The cost of borrowing has fallen for the sixth time in December, and Northamptonshire property prices have rebalanced above pre-COVID levels. If you can afford to buy now and get on the ladder before house prices start to increase again, you'll likely be able to switch to an even more affordable mortgage rate in 2027; by this point, the value should have risen a few per cent, and you'll have built some equity by making your mortgage payments.
Across the East Midlands, house prices are expected to increase by 19% from 2025 to 2029
SavillsIf you are renting and can afford to buy at the current rate of interest, this may be a much more desirable option than saving for a bigger deposit, as rents are still rising, whereas mortgage rates are likely to fall.
However, if you are stretching your budget to buy or upsize, consider saving a bit longer or opting for a more affordable borough. If the base rate rises again, you may be unable to keep up with your monthly repayments when your fixed rate ends.
Worse yet, if prices fall, you could end up in negative equity, owing more money than your home is worth. Buying a home with a mortgage always comes with risks. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
If you are ready to buy a house in Northamptonshire or the surrounding area, we can handle your purchase with a dedicated SAM Conveyancing Consultant to manage your transaction alongside one of our hand-selected panel solicitors.
The platform is set to start 2026 stronger, with lower asking prices and more affordable mortgage rates.
Andrew Boast FMAAT MIC | CEO and Author | SAM ConveyancingSources: Latest data from - Gov.UK, Bank of England, UK House Price Index, Savills.
Caragh is an excellent writer and copy editor of books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey, property law and mortgage-related articles.
Andrew started his career in 2000 working within conveyancing solicitor firms and grew hands-on knowledge of a wide variety of conveyancing challenges and solutions. After helping in excess of 50,000 clients in his career, he uses all this experience within his article writing for SAM, mainstream media and his self published book How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone.
Without Killing Anyone
This book could be the difference between every mover’s dream, buying and moving into your new home stress free, or, stress, missed deadlines, legal disasters, building defects, and possibly the collapse of the whole transaction. (Costing you a small fortune, a head full of grey hairs, and, driving you to threaten the life of your solicitor, lender, co-owners, family, partner, or some combination of all five).
With more than two decades’ experience in the conveyancing sector and over 50,000 successful client moves under his belt, Andrew shares insider tips and advice to empower you as a buyer, giving you the tools to make the best decisions for your circumstances and ease the chaos.
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