Most conversations about selling start with price. This autumn, the calendar deserves equal attention, because the time between agreeing to sell and actually completing has become long enough to change decisions. The latest figures also show something sellers have not seen for a while in prime London: fewer competing properties coming to market.
The timetable nobody puts in the brochure
Rightmove's September report, published on 21 September, put the average time to find a buyer across Great Britain at 64 days, and the time from agreeing a sale to completion at a further 150 days. In London the first figure was 78 days. Rightmove also found that only 42% of London homes that come to market find a buyer at all, against 61% nationally.
Put those London averages together and a home listed in the first week of October would agree a sale shortly before Christmas and complete in the second half of May. They are averages across the whole market, not a forecast for any one house. A cash buyer with no chain can move much faster, and a long chain much slower. But the point stands: anyone who needs the money, or the move, by a particular date should be working backwards from it now.
What August told us about prime London
LonRes published its August figures for prime London on 17 September, and they were weak. Transactions were 19.0% lower than in August 2025, the lowest August total since 2008. Properties going under offer were 15.3% lower on the year, though still 9.4% above the 2017 to 2019 August average. Achieved prices were 7.0% lower than a year earlier, buyers secured an average discount of 10.4% to the asking price, and half of the stock on the market had been reduced at least once.
The figure sellers should notice is supply. New instructions in August were 22.1% lower than a year earlier, the lowest August count since 2011. The stock of property on the market was 1.1% below its level a year ago and 4.9% below its peak in September 2025. For most of the past two years the defining feature of prime London has been the volume of choice in front of buyers. That pressure is now easing, if slowly.
At £5m and above the picture was mixed: transactions were 18.8% lower on the year, but properties going under offer rose 37.5%.
Interest rates and the Budget
The Bank of England held Bank Rate at 3.75% on 17 September. The vote was six to three, and the three dissenters wanted an increase to 4%. Inflation was 3.1% in August and the Committee expects it to rise further over the coming quarters; its next decision is on 5 November. Rightmove recorded the average two-year fixed mortgage rate at 5.29% in September, up from 5.09% in August.
Many prime buyers are less dependent on mortgages than the wider market, but borrowing costs still shape confidence, and confidence shapes how hard buyers negotiate. The Budget follows on 28 October. We are not going to guess at its contents. We would only note that a buyer who agrees a purchase after the Budget knows the tax position they are buying into, and that some will wait for that certainty.
Three decisions for an autumn launch
The first is price. With half of prime London stock reduced and an average discount above 10%, the asking price that matters is the one that would attract a buyer this month, not the one that would have done so two years ago. Launching high and reducing later lengthens a timetable that is already long.
The second is timing around the Budget. Launching in October means viewings during the weeks before 28 October, when some buyers will hold back and others will want to move before any change. Launching in November means a short run before Christmas. There is no single right answer, and we would rather talk it through with you than pretend there is one.
The third is preparation, and it is the one you control. Much of the 150 days to completion goes on enquiries and paperwork. Instructing solicitors early, assembling the title documents, planning consents, building control certificates and, for leasehold flats, the management information before a buyer is found can take weeks out of the process and make a buyer less likely to drift.
Dolce Vita sells property across the UK from Mayfair and works with partner agencies for clients moving abroad. If you are weighing an autumn sale, Request a valuation; we acknowledge the same working day and return a written valuation within 24 to 48 hours, including a realistic view of timing.
Hanane Dawson, Founder
Sources: Rightmove House Price Index, 21 September 2026 (via The Intermediary and Landlord Today, 21 September 2026). LonRes prime London figures for August 2026, 17 September 2026 (via Estate Agent Today and Property Industry Eye). Bank of England, Monetary Policy Summary, 17 September 2026. Office for Budget Responsibility, Autumn 2026 forecast date, 2026.