House prices in England and Wales have suffered a downturn so far in August.
The average price of a home went down by £3,600, making the average asking price £304,222, according to the property website Rightmove.
The fall has been credited to the uncertainty of Brexit as well as the predictable preoccupation with summer holidays.
Investors can take heart, however, as the average asking price nevertheless is 4% above what it was a year ago.
Rightmove said it was the norm to see a decrease during the summer holiday period, but said it believed 2016 will be a “year of two halves” in the property market.
Many buyers, including buy-to-let investors, rushed forward to beat the stamp duty increase on 1 April. It was expected that the volume of sales would subside after that.
The northeast of England is the only region where asking prices this month are lower than they were in August last year. The average asking price is down 1.2% at about £147,330.
The east of England, on the other hand, is up by 8.2% from August last year, taking the average asking price to £334,951.
London prices saw a shift down by 2.6%. The average asking price in London is £619,409, still 2.1% higher than a year ago.
The average asking price in Wales of £180,425 has remained virtually unchanged.
Rightmove also said family homes with four or more bedrooms typically take an average of 74 days to sell. Smaller homes, such as those for first or second-time buyers, take about 58 days.
They also said it is taking a bit longer to sell in most regions.
