UK New Home Registrations Rise 36% in Q1 2025, Wales Leads Growth

New home registrations in the UK surged by 36% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching 29,356, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC). This increase was driven largely by private sector registrations, which rose 62%, while the rental and affordable housing sector saw a slight 2% decline. Regionally, Wales experienced the highest growth with a 116% increase, followed by the East Midlands and West Midlands. Detached houses and bungalows saw the largest rises in registrations, up 63% and 54% respectively, while apartment registrations fell by 3%. Despite the rise in registrations, new home completions dipped slightly by 1% in the same period. The NHBC's CEO, Steve Wood, attributed the growth to improved market confidence, government investment, easing inflation, and lower mortgage rates, though challenges remain in London due to new building safety regulations and reduced demand from housing associations. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the housing market is seeing buyers increasingly purchasing older homes due to a shortage of new build supply and affordability concerns, with the median age of homes bought reaching 36 years in 2024, the highest in recent decades.