The Chelmsford Property Market Is August a buyers’ or sellers’ market?

Knowing what is happening in the property market is really important if you are thinking of moving home in Chelmsford in the coming few months. It’s also important if you are a Chelmsford landlord wondering whether you should grow your portfolio or sell off a few properties? Or you’re a Chelmsford first-time buyer contemplating if now is the best time to move?

Knowing if the current local property market favours buyers or sellers is vital to making the right decision. If you follow my weekly Chelmsford property market updates, you will know one of the most reliable ways to assess the property market is by noting the percentage of homes marked as “Under Offer” or “Sold STC” compared to the total number of properties on the market.

For example, if there are 800 properties on the market in a town or city, and say 480 of those properties are for sale, fully available to buy. The remaining 320 are under offer or sold STC. The 320 homes SSTC as a percentage of the overall total of 800 gives us a sales percentage of 40%. It is this percentage that gives a good indication of the local property market temperature and who holds the upper hand, i.e., buyers or sellers (or somewhere in between).

This percentage acts as a gauge/bellwether for local property market conditions and can be analysed using this industry recognised table:

• Extreme Buyers’ Market (0%-20%)
• Buyers’ Market (21%-29%)
• Balanced Market (30%-40%)
• Sellers’ Market (41%-49%)
• Hot Sellers’ Market (50%-59%)
• Extreme Sellers’ Market (60%+)

How Does Chelmsford Compare?

Looking at the historical data from The Advisory’s website, which has measured this metric for a decade, it reveals some important trends for August for the last four years (and the two Augusts before the pandemic). For this exercise, Chelmsford is CM1/2/3.

• August 2018 – 46%
• August 2019 – 48%
• August 2023 – 45%
• August 2024 – 48%
• August 2025 – 52%
• August 2026 – 50%

These percentage figures are an average of the Chelmsford postcodes (as noted above).

For interest, if I break down the August 2026 figure by individual Chelmsford postcodes, it actually tells an even more interesting story…

• CM1 – 50%
• CM2 – 49%
• CM3 – 51%

Look at the difference between the postcodes!

So, what does a 50% “Sold STC to total stock” ratio mean for Chelmsford right now?

It places the local Chelmsford market at the lower end of a hot sellers’ market.

For Chelmsford Sellers

The Chelmsford property market is rewarding sellers who get the basics right from the very beginning. Buyers have far more homes to choose from today, which means putting a property on the market and simply waiting for someone to fall in love with it is no longer enough.

The homes that are selling tend to be those launched at a sensible price, presented properly and marketed strongly. Good photography, accurate floor plans, video or virtual tours and a combination of online and traditional marketing all help, but none of them can rescue a property that starts life significantly overpriced. Remember, you cannot out market an overpriced home!

The numbers make that very clear.

Of the UK homes that eventually sell, properties that avoid an asking price reduction, in other words those that are realistically priced from day one, are 135% more likely to agree a sale than homes that require a reduction. They also take around a third of the time to find a buyer and are roughly half as likely to suffer a fall-through.

Time on the market matters too. Once a property reaches its 12th week without selling, often because the original asking price was too ambitious, its chance of selling falls to just 14.5%.

There is another statistic every Chelmsford seller should understand. If a home agrees a sale within its first 25 days on the market, it has a 94%, or 19 out of 20, chance of reaching exchange and completion. If it takes 100 days to agree that sale, the chance falls to just 56%, or around 11 out of 20.

That is why getting the launch price right matters so much.

Since the start of 2026, 48.39% of Chelmsford homes leaving local estate agents’ books have exchanged and completed. The remaining 51.61%, some 1,748 Chelmsford homeowners, withdrew from the market unsold. For those 1,748 homeowners, the move they originally hoped to make simply did not happen.

For Chelmsford Buyers

For buyers, today’s market feels very different from the frenzy of 2021 and 2022. There is more choice, more time to compare properties and, in many cases, greater opportunity to negotiate. However, a calmer market does not mean every Chelmsford home is easy to buy. Well-priced, well-presented homes can still attract plenty of interest, and buyers who hesitate too long can find themselves missing out.

Preparation therefore matters.

Having a mortgage agreement in principle demonstrates that you are serious and puts you in a stronger position when negotiating with a seller. It can also pay to broaden your search slightly. Some of the better-value opportunities around Chelmsford can be found just outside the areas where everybody else appears to be looking.

Final Thoughts on the Chelmsford Property Market

There is a subtle change taking place in the wider economy. Inflation is hovering around 3% again, so interest rates may not fall as quickly as some had hoped and economic confidence remains slightly fragile.

Despite that, the Chelmsford property market continues to function. The key difference is that buyers are becoming increasingly selective.

For Chelmsford sellers, that makes the initial asking price crucial. Price realistically and you give yourself the strongest possible chance of attracting a buyer while your property is still fresh to the market. Ask too much and buyers may simply move on to the next home. You might not achieve the peak prices witnessed a few years ago but remember that the property you subsequently buy is operating in the same market.

If you are considering moving during the next few months, or you simply want to understand where your home currently sits in the Chelmsford market, it may be worth having a conversation. And if you are staying put, I would still be interested to know where you think the Chelmsford property market goes next.