<p><span>Taylor Wimpey’s year end results “will be line with expectations”, with total completions increasing 5% to 15,719 new homes against the previous year.</span></p> <p><span>Updating the market ahead of its full year results on February 26, the volume housebuilder said that, against a backdrop of continuing uncertainty in 2019, the housing market had remained stable but with “more challenging” conditions in London and the south east and with higher priced homes.</span></p> <p><span>During its financial year ending December 31 2019, the housebuilder’s private average selling price lifted 1% to £305,000 against FY 2018.</span></p> <p><span>The business said that, as previously guided, its operating profit margin for the year was set to be around </span><span>19.6%, a dip on 2018’s 21.6%.</span></p> <p><span>With Taylor Wimpey seeing an ease in cost pressures in recent months, build cost inflation in 2019 was at 4.5%, it said.</span></p> <p><span>The business ended the year with a “record” total order book valued </span><span>at £2,176 million on December 31 2019 against 2018’s £1,782 million. It traded from an average of 250 outlets, down on the previous year’s 273. It expects outlets in 2020 to be “broadly similar”.</span></p> <p><span>It added that it expected completions in 2020 to be second half weighted.</span></p> <p><span>Pete Redfern, Taylor …