Why are house prices so high? And what could make them more affordable?

House prices in the UK are at an all-time high – but they just keep going higher. And that’s not because of rich foreign buyers or a lack of supply, says John Stepek. It’s for the same reason every other asset class is so expensive.

House for sale in London
London is out of kilter with the rest of the UK, but is not unique among world cities
(Image credit: © Graeme Robertson/Getty Images)

House prices in the UK keep going up. This is nothing special – rising house prices are a problem everywhere.

And yes, they are a problem. I don't think it's healthy for the vast majority of the population to be worried about the cost – and huge indebtedness required – to attain then keep a roof over their heads. But what's the solution?

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John Stepek

John Stepek is a senior reporter at Bloomberg News and a former editor of MoneyWeek magazine. He graduated from Strathclyde University with a degree in psychology in 1996 and has always been fascinated by the gap between the way the market works in theory and the way it works in practice, and by how our deep-rooted instincts work against our best interests as investors.

He started out in journalism by writing articles about the specific business challenges facing family firms. In 2003, he took a job on the finance desk of Teletext, where he spent two years covering the markets and breaking financial news.

His work has been published in Families in Business, Shares magazine, Spear's Magazine, The Sunday Times, and The Spectator among others. He has also appeared as an expert commentator on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, BBC Radio Scotland, Newsnight, Daily Politics and Bloomberg. His first book, on contrarian investing, The Sceptical Investor, was released in March 2019. You can follow John on Twitter at @john_stepek.