Homes in northern regions of England tend to sell faster than homes in southern regions, where prices are higher, Zoopla research has found.
Homes in the North West and North East take on average 32 days to sell and account for six of the top ten fastest moving markets in England and Wales – Manchester, Carlisle, Stockport Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne and Halton.
Waltham Forest in North East London is the fastest moving markets in England and Wales, with homes selling in just 19 days.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “It currently takes just over a month to agree a home sale across England and Wales, but this varies widely across the country and by property type with smaller family homes the fastest selling homes.
“Households that are thinking about listing their home and moving in 2025 need to set their asking price at the right level and take the advice of local agents. Buyers have a lot more choice of homes for sale than a year ago. Aiming too high on the asking price is likely to impact saleability and how long you may have to wait to agree a sale”.
When it comes to the entirety of the UK, homes in Scotland tend to move the fastest, spending an average of 21 days on the market before a sale is agreed.
This is 13 days faster than the UK average of 34 days.
Scotland has a different system from England and Wales, with homes listed with a Home Report, a pack of three documents that give buyers a clear picture of the condition of the property. In addition, homes are marketed as ‘offers over’ the asking price.
Two and three-bed homes are the fastest-selling property type, with flats and 4+ bed homes taking longer to sell due to increased supply and greater choice for home buyers.
The average time to sell a two-bed home is 23 days, two days faster than the previous year.
Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, said: “Affordability continues to play an important role in shaping the UK property market, which means lower-value locations tend to experience stronger price growth and greater liquidity. In an environment where mortgage rates are four times higher than in 2021 and US trade policy has created concerns about a global economic slowdown, asking prices need to be realistic rather than ambitious.”
