Sellers cut the asking price on more than 3,000 homes a day across Britain in September 2026, according to Rightmove figures published this month, the highest daily total for any month in 15 years. In a market with this much choice, homes in Northumberland that sell well are the ones marketed well from day one, not the ones that wait on a portal and then drop the price.

What Rightmove's figures show

Rightmove's figures for September paint a clear picture of a crowded market:

  • More than 3,000 price reductions a day, the most for any month in 15 years.
  • 34% of homes on the market had a price reduction, close to the recent peak of 36% in September 2023.
  • The average cut was nearly 7%, around £21,000 off a typically valued home.
  • Reduced homes took 119 days to find a buyer, against 39 days for homes that sold at their first asking price.

Rightmove puts it down to a glut of homes for sale, buyers working to tighter budgets as mortgage rates sit at three-year highs, and some sellers starting too high. Its own advice to sellers is simple: in a market with so much choice, first impressions matter.

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Why a price cut is the wrong first move

Look at those last two numbers again. A home that sells at its first price takes 39 days. A home that has to be reduced takes 119, and still gives away around 7%. Once a property has sat online for weeks and then dropped, buyers start asking what is wrong with it, even when nothing is.

The usual high street approach makes this more likely. Many agents list your home on Rightmove with standard photographs, then wait for the phone to ring. When it does not, the conversation turns to the price. The marketing never changes; your asking price does.

When the market gets busier, the answer is to market a home harder, not to wait longer and then cut the price.

What selling in Northumberland needs right now

Buyers in Morpeth, Alnwick, Hexham and Cramlington are scrolling past hundreds of listings. To stand out, a home has to be seen by the right buyers, look its best the first time they see it, and create enough interest that people compete for it. That takes more than a portal listing:

  • Reach beyond the portals. Paid social media puts your home in front of buyers on Facebook and Instagram, where they spend their time, not just those already searching Rightmove.
  • A first impression that holds attention. Professional photography, a floor plan and video give buyers a reason to stop scrolling.
  • Interest built before launch. Registered buyers hear first, so the home goes live to momentum instead of silence.
  • Competition on one day. A managed open house brings motivated buyers together, so offers are made against each other rather than against a long list of alternatives.

How Our Agents does it differently

Our Agents, the Morpeth-based independent estate agent with a £1,299 fixed fee, treats every home as a launch, not a listing. Everything below is included in the one fixed fee:

  • Rightmove Featured advert, plus the other major property portals from day one
  • Professional photography and a professional floor plan
  • Three videos: a property walkthrough, a location video and a lifestyle video
  • A tailored marketing plan for your home and its likely buyer
  • A paid social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram
  • A pre-launch to our registered buyers before the home goes live
  • EPC arranged for you
  • Every viewing accompanied, with honest feedback afterwards
  • A managed open house event to create competition
  • Sales progression and one person looking after you from valuation to keys

The results speak for the approach: 95% of the homes we sell go at the open house, and the average is 14 days to sale agreed. That is the opposite of the 119-day, price-reduced sale Rightmove describes.

Start with the right price and the right plan

None of this means ignoring the market. An honest, evidence-based valuation matters more than ever, because the first two weeks online are when a home has the most attention. Price it right, launch it properly and give buyers a reason to act, and you give yourself the best chance of selling without a reduction.

If your home is already on the market and not getting the viewings it should, we can look at your listing and tell you honestly what is missing. If you are thinking about selling in Morpeth, Ponteland, Amble or anywhere across Northumberland, book a free Selling Advice Meeting and Valuation and we will show you exactly how your home would be launched.

Tags: Selling Northumberland Rightmove Marketing Open House