A leading property website sends out a stark warning that it is more than likely that house prices will ‘take a fall’ in the second half of this year.

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In its recent market analysis it shows another record high of the average house price however there is a ‘sting in the tail: “After a very strong first half of the year, it is likely that affordability constraints will have a greater influence on market behaviour in the months ahead, with further interest rate rises anticipated.

“This, alongside more choice coming onto the market for buyers and the usual seasonal variations we’d expect, means that there are likely to be some month-on-month price falls during the second half of the year.

“We expect this to bring house price growth by the end of the year to around the five per cent we originally predicted in December.”

House prices always eventually fall after a ‘spike’ in rises no matter how small, however the eventuality could offer savvy landlords some shrewd investment opportunities.

A spokesperson for the online property portal, says: “The exceptional pace of the market is easing a little, as demand gradually softens and price rises begin to slow, which is very much to be expected given the many record-breaking numbers over the past two years.

“When we look at the number of buyers contacting estate agents compared to 2019 or the pre-pandemic five-year average, demand is still very high compared to what was once considered normal.

“We’re hearing from agents that though they might have had slightly fewer enquirers for each property in recent months, they’re still seeing significant interest from multiple buyers and are achieving successful sales.

“Entering the second half of the year, we anticipate some further slowdown in the pace of price rises, particularly given the worsening affordability challenges that people are facing. We expect this to bring the annual rate of price growth down from the current 9.7 per cent towards the five per cent increase that Rightmove predicted at the beginning of the year.”

In the property website’s latest survey it shows the average price of properties coming to market has hit a fifth consecutive market high of £368,6124, although it is just a small 0.3 per cent rise from the previous month it does show a considerable slowing down of the rate of growth.

The portal also says there is a serious conveyancing ‘grid-lock’ of cases and anyone wishing to sell their property this year will have to act fast.

Currently it takes on average 150 days to complete a purchase after agreeing a sale which is 50 days longer than the same time in 2019.

For those who wish to complete a deal and be in a new ‘home’ by Christmas, must put their own property up for sale in the next three or four weeks to have any chance of finding a buyer and completing the sale by December.