Scotland and Yorkshire have emerged as the UK’s most active local property markets in 2025, according to new analysis of government transaction data by The Property DriveBuy.
So far this year, 504,180 residential properties have changed hands across the UK, equating to an average of 63,023 transactions a month.
While overall sales activity has been strongest at a regional level in the South East, local authority data shows that the highest concentrations of transactions are clustered in Scotland and Yorkshire.
The South East has recorded the highest number of sales nationally, with 71,060 transactions, averaging 8,883 a month. The North West follows with 53,662 sales, ahead of the East of England (48,408), the South West (46,823) and London (46,424). Yorkshire and the Humber recorded 39,935 sales, placing it ahead of the West Midlands (38,166), the East Midlands (37,464) and the North East (19,895).
KING OF THE NORTH
At a city and county level, Scotland dominates the rankings. Edinburgh has been the most active housing market in the UK so far this year, with 7,351 transactions, averaging 919 a month. Glasgow follows closely behind with 7,095 sales.
Two Yorkshire locations occupy the next positions, with North Yorkshire recording 5,466 transactions and Leeds close behind on 5,451.
Birmingham completes the top five most active markets, with 5,422 property sales. The remainder of the top ten is made up of Somerset (4,706), Cornwall (4,553), Fife (4,492), Buckinghamshire (4,295) and South Lanarkshire (4,234).
The data highlights the continued strength of regional and city-based housing markets outside London, with affordability, employment hubs and lifestyle factors helping to drive sustained transaction volumes in Scotland and the North of England during 2025.
DIVERGING FACTORS
Steve Foreman (main picture), Founder and Chief Executive of The Property DriveBuy, says: “What this data clearly shows is that the UK housing market in 2025 is anything but uniform and not always predictable.
“While overall transaction volumes are averaging just over 60,000 per month, activity varies dramatically depending on location, with parts of Scotland and Yorkshire outperforming many traditionally dominant regions.
“This divergence is being driven by a combination of factors, including relative affordability, local employment strength, lifestyle appeal, and buyer migration away from higher-priced southern markets.”
FRAGMENTED MARKET
And he adds: “For buyers, this means competition and pricing pressures can look very different just a few miles – perhaps even meters – apart, while for sellers it reinforces the importance of understanding true, hyper-local demand rather than relying on national headlines.
“In a market this fragmented, the ability to see where homes are becoming available has never been more important.
“Property DriveBuy’s geolocation-based homesearch platform gives buyers a clearer picture of availability on a street-by-street basis. Someone who is struggling to find a good match in one area could be a few minute’s walk away from their dream home, but because traditional postcode-based search algorithms are so constrictive, they might never even know.”
