Once again, the property market is making headlines. Kemi Badenoch has announced that a future Conservative government would abolish stamp duty on primary residences, while Labour has outlined a series of reforms that could bring back early 2000s-style requirements, putting more responsibility on sellers to provide detailed information upfront – including building surveys and certifications. These proposed changes reflect just how important the property market remains to the UK economy and to government policy across the political spectrum. Most of these measures would apply to England only, but housing remains a key issue in Wales too. With the Senedd elections on the horizon in May 2026, I’m sure it’s likely that Labour, the Conservatives, and Plaid Cymru will each set out their own visions for Wales’ property market.
More locally, the market remains in good shape despite the fact we’re now at the start of the typical quietening period leading up to Christmas. It was a busy summer and autumn, with listings and transactions across the town since 1 September being broadly the same as the previous year. Transactions over the last 12 months are down overall (-13.9%), but this is always a small sample size and it is in line with Wales as a whole (-13.6%) and the UK (-12.2%). Property values have followed the same path as our activity levels since December 2024, have been improving over the last 12 months, and are now flat in Penarth, Sully and Llandough having been 4% down in the 12 months to September 2024.
Amidst all the noise, what we are seeing on the ground is a real trend from buyers towards identifying what they really want. Whether moving or renovating, we are increasingly focussed on making our homes the absolute best we possibly can. It’s about lifestyle more than the house itself, and we are prepared to pay good money for this, and are less willing to compromise.
I seem to write this closing phrase quite a lot, but all in all, the market can be summarised by being resilient and in good shape despite the remaining uncertainty and flux.
Christmas Food Bank collection
We are collecting food donations for our local Trussell Trust Food Bank again this year. Donations of non-perishable food items can be made to our Station Approach office by the close of Monday, 8 December 2025. This is the third year that we’ve been running our collection and we have been donating a huge amount of food each year. We are grateful for everyone’s support on this and are glad to be able to continue for another year.
David Baker & Co
As always, the team at David Baker & Company are here to offer all of the advice, guidance and support you need when looking to buy, sell or rent. Please do give us a call and we can arrange a consultation at a time to suit you. Our latest property listings can be found online, at www.davidbaker.co.uk.
