REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The number of house purchases in Britain this year is on course to drop by 21% to its lowest since 2012 as a result of rising borrowing costs, property website Zoopla forecast on Wednesday.
"While UK house prices are 0.1% higher over the year, it is the number of sales that have been hit hardest by higher borrowing costs, especially amongst mortgage-reliant buyers," Zoopla's executive director, Richard Donnell, said.
Zoopla forecast that house purchases funded by mortgages would drop 28% this year, while cash buyers would fall just 1% and account for more than a third of sales.
The most recent official data showed that there were 22% fewer house purchases in the three months to the end of June than a year earlier.
Zoopla provides property valuations and also advertises more than 1 million properties for sale or to rent.
Persons:
Toby Melville, Richard Donnell, BoE, David Milliken, Alex Richardson
Organizations:
REUTERS, Thomson
Locations:
Bristol, Britain