Market notes / Reading the numbers
What a house price can tell you
Asking prices, recorded sales and market headlines each tell a different story. Here is how to read them together.
Start by naming the number
An asking price is the figure on the listing. A sale price records what a buyer agreed to pay. A price index tracks movement across a market. Before comparing two numbers, check that they describe the same thing.
An asking price alone cannot tell you whether a home is good value. Keep your own budget in view, and use comparable completed sales to ask better questions about the property.
Know when a sale enters the record
Kadaster records the transfer after the notary submits the signed deed for registration. A recent sale price may therefore be missing from its purchase-price product. A sold label on a listing and an available registered price are different stages. Kadaster: when a sale price becomes available
Keep the transaction date with every comparable you use. Ask what has changed since then, and write down differences in size, condition and ownership terms. Three nearby sales are more useful when you understand them than when you simply average them.
Read an average and an index differently
CBS publishes both average purchase prices and a price index for existing owner-occupied homes. The average describes the homes sold in that period. CBS explicitly advises using the index to follow price developments. CBS: existing home prices and definitions
A change in the average can reflect a different mix of homes being sold. It does not tell you that every home became more expensive by the same amount. Likewise, a national index is context for your search, not a valuation of the house you viewed on Saturday.
Check the period before the headline
A month-on-month change and a year-on-year change answer different questions. Check the geography, the type of home and the period covered before applying a headline to your own move.
Keep a short note with each figure: its source, the reporting period and what it measures. If those details are missing, follow the link back to the original release before relying on it.
Turn the context into a useful decision
For a buyer, use market information to test your assumptions about an offer. For a seller, use it to discuss an asking-price strategy alongside recent comparable sales and the condition of your home.
Keep three things separate in your notes: the broad market trend, the evidence for this particular property, and the amount that works for your household. None of them replaces the others.
General information, reviewed on 1 November 2026. Rules and individual circumstances can differ. Confirm the details of your purchase with your mortgage adviser, agent or notary. Official sources are linked beside the relevant guidance.