Hoping to be in your next home by Christmas? With property transactions taking months rather than weeks, October is the time to understand what’s realistic — and why it can still pay to get moving.

The UK property market continues to face a number of challenges, with mortgage costs, affordability, economic uncertainty and the overall cost of moving all influencing buyer and seller decisions.

The UK housing market has entered the final part of the year on a cautious but surprisingly resilient footing, with house prices remaining unchanged in September despite continued pressure from mortgage rates, household costs and wider economic uncertainty.

The UK property market could be heading towards a significant change in the way flats are owned and managed. The government’s proposed reforms to replace leasehold with commonhold as the default form of ownership for most new flats could reshape the buying, selling and management of residential property across England and Wales.