More than half of homes in England and Wales now sell within two months of being listed, according to new figures from Zoopla.
The average time to secure a buyer stands at 36 days – down from 38 last year – with 52% of sales agreed within eight weeks of listing.
Homes in more affordable northern regions continue to attract quicker sales, with properties in the North West and North East averaging just 32 days on the market.
Manchester, Carlisle, Stockport, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne and Halton all feature among the ten fastest-moving markets.
QUICKEST AREA TO SELL
However, Waltham Forest in north-east London ranks as the quickest area to sell a home in England and Wales, with an average of just 19 days. Strong transport links, good schools and access to green space have helped maintain high demand in the borough.
Across the UK, Scottish homes continue to sell the fastest, averaging just 21 days on the market – 13 days quicker than the national average of 34.
Scotland’s distinct homebuying process, including mandatory Home Reports and “offers over” pricing, is believed to contribute to its more rapid transactions.
Despite higher levels of buyer demand in southern England, the growth in housing stock is outpacing it, slowing transaction speeds. A year-on-year increase of 11% in homes for sale has heightened competition, making accurate pricing more important.
OVER AMBITIOUS
Homes priced too ambitiously can linger on the market or require price reductions. Where prices are cut by 5% or more, the average time to sell extends to 43 days.
Second-home markets are also feeling the impact of policy changes. With 150 councils introducing double council tax for second homes, supply has risen sharply in coastal areas. Properties in East Lindsey, home to Skegness and Mablethorpe, now take 59 days to sell on average. In Gwynedd, North Wales – where second home council tax has risen by 150% – the figure is the same.
Two- and three-bedroom homes remain the fastest-moving.
Property type continues to influence the speed of sale. Two- and three-bedroom homes remain the fastest-moving, taking an average of 23 and 27 days respectively.
Their broad appeal spans first-time buyers and downsizers seeking manageable space without compromising on features such as gardens.
Flats and larger four-bedroom properties take longer to sell, with average times of 31 and 38 days respectively. A surge in supply – particularly of flats, up 18% in early 2025 – is contributing to slower sales in these categories.
FASTEST SELLING HOMES
Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, says: “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.
“Metrics like time to sell and average sale price are crucial in helping would-be sellers understand the value of their home and the asking price they could secure in 2025.”
SALEABILITY
And he adds: “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.
‘This is partly why Zoopla’s MyHome is seeing such significant user engagement, with 1.6m homeowners returning to the tool every month. This is just the beginning, with more innovation planned in Zoopla’s pipeline that will better educate sellers and ultimately connect more motivated movers with agents to deliver improved ROI.”
SIMPLE APPROACH
Nigel Bishop, founder of Recoco Property Search, says: “Setting the right asking price often dictates how quickly a property will sell.
“Some sellers learn this the hard way and are eventually forced to accept a price reduction.
“It’s simple, really. House hunters base their search on various criteria but the budget tends to be the deciding factor.
“Whilst some properties will demand a premium due to location or nearby amenities, we are seeing fewer buyers willing to enter bidding wars – especially in parts of the UK where numerous properties have been put up for sale.”
EXTREMELY UPBEAT
Toby Leek, NAEA Propertymark President, adds: “As the year progresses it’s extremely upbeat to witness a strong sense of self-assurance from buyers approaching the housing market.
“Regions such as the North West and North East have seen phenomenal growth over the last twenty-five years in terms of new infrastructure and jobs market appeal.
“This in turn has magnetised people towards certain towns and cities, as homebuyers search out a perfect location to potentially settle.
“There has been considerable public and private investment within such areas, with many large companies also choosing to locate their staff within key northern locations for the same positive reasons – mainly based on enhanced transport links and lower costs.”
