Worthing house prices are still correcting while mortgage rates start climbing again

Two things happened this week that matter if you own property in Worthing, or you're thinking about buying here.

First, mortgage rates turned a corner. After months of gradually falling, swap rates rose sharply this week on the back of global market pressure, and HSBC and NatWest have already put their fixed rates up, with more lenders expected to follow in the coming days. It's not a dramatic jump. A 0.25 percentage point rise on a typical two-year fix adds around £38 a month, or £456 a year, on a £250,000 mortgage. But the direction has changed, and that's the headline: the window for locking in a cheap fix, which has been open since 2024, is starting to narrow rather than widen.

Second, and this is the part that gets missed in the national headlines: Worthing itself is not riding the same wave as the rest of the country. Nationally, prices are up around 4% on the year and mortgage approvals are at a five-year high. As a Worthing estate agent I look at BN11 sold prices every week, not once a quarter, and the local picture is different. Worthing's average sold price is £370,842, which is down 6% on last year and still 4% below the 2023 peak of £387,803. Flats are averaging £218,000, semis £415,000, detached £571,000. Streets across BN11, including Selden Road, Madeira Avenue, Chesswood Road and Ladydell Road, are seeing the same pattern: recovery, but not yet back to 2023 form.

What this means if you're selling

If your home has been on the market a while, or you withdrew it last year because the offers weren't matching your expectations, this is worth reading twice. The market hasn't gone away, but it also hasn't returned to 2023 pricing, and it won't for a while yet. Homes priced against a 2023 comparable are the ones sitting unsold. Homes priced against where Worthing actually is today, right now, are the ones moving. If your figure in your head is still anchored to what the road looked like three years ago, it's worth an honest conversation before you relist. See how I work with sellers.

What this means if you're buying

You have more room to negotiate in Worthing than the national story suggests. Sellers here are working against a market that's softer than the country as a whole, which is useful leverage if you're making an offer. The catch is timing on the mortgage side. Rates have just started moving up after a long run of falling, so the calculation isn't only “can I negotiate on price”, it's also “what does my monthly payment look like if I wait another month and rates have moved again”. Getting a mortgage agreement in principle sorted now, rather than after you've found the house, is more useful this month than most. Thinking about buying?.

The bottom line

Worthing is a market where the local story and the national story have decoupled. That's not bad news, it's just information, and it changes how both buyers and sellers should be thinking about price right now.

If you want to know what any of this means for your specific street or your specific property, get in touch. I look at BN11 sold prices every week, not once a quarter.

Follow @propertyofWorthing on Instagram for weekly Worthing market updates.

Quick answers: Worthing house prices and mortgage rates

Are mortgage rates going up or down in 2026?

After months of falling, swap rates rose sharply in September 2026 and HSBC and NatWest have raised fixed rates, with more lenders expected to follow. A typical two-year fix is up by around 0.25 percentage points, adding roughly £38 a month on a £250,000 mortgage.

What is the average house price in Worthing right now?

Worthing's average sold price is £370,842, down 6% on last year and still 4% below the 2023 peak of £387,803. Flats average £218,000, semis £415,000 and detached homes £571,000.

Is now a good time to sell in Worthing?

Homes priced against today's market, not 2023 comparables, are the ones moving. If your asking price is still anchored to peak values, it's worth an honest conversation before you relist.

Is Worthing a buyer's or seller's market?

Locally, Worthing is softer than the national market, which gives buyers room to negotiate. But with mortgage rates rising again, buyers should weigh negotiation against the cost of waiting.