Housemovers are most likely to be found moving out of London according to recent data. According to Hamptons International, the number of Londoners choosing to move outside of the capital area has increased by 50% in a year. Top areas for these homemovers were Brighton, Luton, and Bath. Most popular destinations were Esher in Surrey, Brentwood in Essex, and Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire with the factor of having a commutable distance to London being important.

Johnny Morris, head of research with Hamptons International, remarked, ““Over the [economic] downturn, many Londoners delayed life-stage moves, restricting the natural flow of families out of the capital and building a pent-up demand.

“As the gap between house prices in London and the rest of the country has widened to record highs, of £282,000, and expectations of future house-price growth have moderated, many Londoners are now choosing to cash in and move out of the capital.”

Nationwide recently announced that in 2014 London was the top performer for house price growth. The average house price increased 17.8% to £406,730.

Homeowners in London may find the increase in property values recently to be a signal that it is time to sell and take the profits available due to high demand and low supply in the housing market.

Overall the UK is looking at a healthier housing market in 2014 than was seen in 2013. Some experts have forecasted for UK house prices to increase by 3-5% in the coming year.

First time buyers have backed away from the market with higher house prices, despite a slowdown in the past few months. It is expected that demand will increase next year in the first quarter for both mortgages and remortgages as the threat of lenders may begin to pull their cheapest interest rates from offers. Currently lenders are in a competitive mood for the attention of borrowers and that has led to some of the lowest interest rate offers in years.