Tell me about the UK property market

[littlerosegarden]

DH and I are both from abroad and moved to London 5 years ago

We really feel like the UK is now our home and we have decided to buy our very first property in the South of London (zone 4).

What makes this experience tricky (besides the eye watering asking prices!) is that we struggle gauging whether what we seek in a property is aligned with what the market values (as at some point for family reasons we might have to sell and move back home - so we really want to make sure what we buy doesn't lose in value and can be sold easily).

Location is on all countries is obviously key but how is for instance a 3-bed semi detached valued versus a 4 bed mid terrace (larger than the semi detached)?

Or how the same 3 bed semi detached with a small garden (e.g.: 1,000 sq.ft) compares with this 4 bed mid terrace but with a bigger garden.

Are semi detached houses a lot more in demand than mid terrace?

Is a small garden a ‘no go’ for buyers usually?

Having a garden that is south facing seems to be a big deal as well!! is it really a must for most people (or rather a nice to have)?

Much is dependent on area. I'm sure you will get lots of feedback here but from my perspective and understanding here are a few aspects people will look at in terms of desirability:
Noise for many people is an issue so mid terrace where you have neighbours both sides is less valuable than end of terrace, followed by semi, follows by detached
Local state school catchments and their Ofsted ratings - desirability will depend on how many so-called good state schools are in that area and where the boundaries for those sit
Parking - availability of...
More recently: Proximity to rivers/ flooding etc and related risks

Proximity to easy commuting areas such as cities etc for work. I have lived in some good areas that were less desirable purely because of the lack of train connections.

Regarding house size and garden size size of family, age of family and family income will all affect these.
Those will several smaller children may want more bedrooms and a larger garden and therefore compromise to a terrace.
Those with a single late teen may want more parking and less garden.
As always horses for courses.
UK rule of thumb has always been worst house in best street you can afford, you can't improve location you can improve the property.

I have sold a house in zone 3 in South London. We had five offers within the first weekend of viewings, it went to the buyers offering asking price.
I think all those features you mentioned are very much dependent on location and how many houses are available. If the location is in high demand then people are not going to worry so much about it for the lack of alternative houses.
FWIW our house was north facing and mid terrace - it flew off the shelf! But it was five minutes from the station and local shops and in an excellent school catchment. And it didn't need much work doing to it. Most houses in the area were terraces, hardly any semis.
If you are set on a specific location you will have to be prepared to make compromises, eg direction the garden faces.

First figure out what's important to you. Some people want a big garden, some want a smaller low maintenance one. Some people wouldn't consider a house without off road parking, some don't care. A detached house commands a higher price than a semi and finally a terrace if in the same neighbourhood, but if the neighbourhood is made up of terraced streets then that's irrelevant. Near a good school or public transport may be essential, or not. By and large it's common sense - the bigger the property, the better the decor, the nearer public transport/schools/ other amenities the higher the price.
The rightmove feature of market info, with similar houses in the area on the market, under offer and sold prices will help you determine if the asking price is reasonable.
Buying a warehouse style property with no outside space in a family- oriented neighbourhood of mostly three bed Victorian terraces may be a house with limited appeal to the local residents in terms of resale, but barring that generally you buy in a place that appeals to you and there will be buyers who will want to buy it from you too.