Depending on who you listen to, it's either the perfect time to invest in property or it's horrendously overvalued and ripe for a crash.

This week, we look at the data behind the claims that UK property is unaffordable – and show how easy it is to cherry-pick one measure to support an agenda. We look at affordability through the lens of:

• Actual house prices (and see the shocking impact of inflation over the long-term)
• Prices after adjusting for inflation, to identify the specific extent of house price inflation
• The price of houses as a multiple of earnings, and whether this is historically high
• The ongoing affordability of housing, looking at the monthly cost of a mortgage as a percentage of income

There are some fascinating stats – as well as some really important insights into how affordability varies across regions, and where value might be found.

 

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