Beat the catchment crowds: Not all is equal when it comes to buying a property in school catchment areas  

New data from leading property buying company Upstix shows that homes within the catchment of the top 20 English primary schools can move at very differing pace – with as much as two and a half months between the fastest and the slowest. 

It takes an average of 206 days to sell a property within England’s top 20 primary school catchments. But how fast you need to move as a buyer to avoid missing out really depends on where you are buying.

The fastest selling primary school catchment is for St James’ Roman Catholic Primary School in Orpington (main picture), with a sale time of just 170 days, compared to the slowest of 247 days for Abacus Belsize Primary School in London.  

Fred Jones, Chief Operating Officer at Upstix, says: “It is no secret that the UK home buying and selling process can be incredibly stressful – but it is even more so when you have a school application deadline to meet. Our research shows that there can be as much as two and a half months difference in property selling times depending on which primary school catchment area you are trying to get into.  

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“Homes in some of the catchment areas of great schools can be snapped up quickly and with Labour proposing changes to VAT on private school fees we’re likely to see ever greater demand in the coming months.

“It means parents on the prowl for outstanding state education will need to start their house hunt soon as options will be snapped up quickly.” 

“For families with an existing property to sell, there’s a risk this could hold up the process, which can be lengthy, complex, and costly. With only 231 days until the January primary school application deadline, =. we’re seeing more and more parents make the most of our instant cash buying proposition to beat the catchment crowds.”