The semi-detached home remains Britain’s most loved housing type, shaping family life for generations. This article explores how the value of semis varies widely across the UK, from London’s seven-figure prices to far more attainable regions, and why their emotional pull remains as strong as ever.

Despite the headlines, first-time buyers in Attleborough are not locked out of homeownership. When you look beyond prices and focus on monthly mortgage costs, affordability today is far better than many realise. The data challenges the doom narrative and shows that, while deposits are tough, buying a first home is still possible.

The latest 0.25% interest rate cut may look modest on paper, saving the average variable mortgage holder around £31 a month, but its real influence runs deeper. Property markets are powered by confidence, and with mortgage rates easing and lenders competing again, sentiment is shifting. That change in mood is starting to matter.

With plans announced to raise the council tax surcharge on higher-value homes, this snapshot looks at how many £2m-plus properties have actually sold across the UK this year. The data shows a highly concentrated market, dominated by London, and reveals just how small this sector is nationally despite the noise around a “mansion tax.”