Thinking of putting your home on the market? New research could help you gauge just how long you can expect to wait before getting an offer.
It takes an average of 56 days to match the typical home having a buyer, based on property portal Zoopla's analysis of home sales in 50 of Britain's largest cities and towns.
Those selling in Edinburgh and Falkirk have the shortest wait, with property snapped up in 27 days typically. Meanwhile, sellers in Blackpool face an agonising 71-day slog to locate a buyer to purchase their home.
Here we reveal the 10 hottest and coolest property markets in Britain, explain why your house might not be selling and just what to do about it.
Where property is selling fastest
Zoopla analysed a sample of for-sale listings, published on its website on or after 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2022, and examined how long it took (in days) for the status of these listings to alter to 'under offer' from the time these were first published.
Scotland dominated the areas with the fastest-moving property markets, based on Zoopla's research.
Falkirk and Edinburgh were the top areas for a quick house sale, taking typically 27 days to have an offer from the buyer to be received.
Homeowners in Glasgow only had to wait 31 days, and over in Stirling sellers had an average 32-day wait.
You may use our gallery to determine what sort of home you could buy within the hottest property markets in Britain right now (for more information head to Zoopla) or skip to the table below for additional info on the amount of days it requires to market and also the average house price in the region.
Town | Average days to secure an offer | Average asking price May 2022 |
Falkirk | 27 | lb154,579 |
Edinburgh | 27 | lb298,575 |
Glasgow | 31 | lb186,705 |
Stirling | 32 | lb222,736 |
Cardiff | 37 | lb255,528 |
Coventry | 37 | lb215,909 |
Newport | 40 | lb187,842 |
Nottingham | 41 | lb207,456 |
Birmingham | 41 | lb207,474 |
Mansfield | 42 | lb156,763 |
The slowest-moving property markets
At the other end of the scale homes put up for sale in Blackpool spent the longest time on the market, with sellers needing to wait 71 days typically for a buyer to be found.
Perhaps surprisingly, London was the 2nd slowest-moving market with homes within the capital taking an average of 70 days to shift.
You can use our gallery to determine what sort of homes are available in the slowest-moving property markets in great britan at this time (to learn more visit Zoopla) or skip towards the table below for more information on the number of days it takes to sell and also the average house price in the area.
Town | Average days to secure an offer | Average asking price May 2022 |
Blackpool | 71 | lb122,306 |
London | 70 | lb659,660 |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 68 | lb209,693 |
Hemel Hempstead | 65 | lb392,879 |
Bradford | 64 | lb135,798 |
Reading | 64 | lb430,006 |
Preston | 63 | lb191,628 |
Telford | 62 | lb178,444 |
Doncaster | 60 | lb162,012 |
Swansea | 59 | lb180,239 |
How long will it take to sell your home?
Homes in Scotland and the North East typically sell the fastest, using the average time for you to secure sales a relatively speedy 42 days.
Again, homes in London take considerably longer to shift, using the typical wait lasting a frustrating 70 days.
Use the map below to find out the average selling time in your region.
What's stopping your house from selling?
If your house continues to be available on the market for some time there could be numerous factors at play.
Your asking price isn't right
Getting the selling price right is vital to securing a fast sale.
If your property is overpriced, potential customers won't see it within their search results or is going to be delay coming to visit it.
The the easy way estimate your home’s value would be to research what similar homes have sold for in your town and obtain a valuation from a minimum of three local agents.
Your estate agent isn’t spending so much time enough
Estate agents are great at persuading you to definitely list your home with them, however, many are better at doing it on their own promises of a speedy sale and price than others.
If your agent went quiet, jump on the phone and get them why. A great agent can tell you everything they’ve been doing to sell your property.
If you’re losing faith, look at your tie-in and spot periods and consider changing estate agents – it might give your sale a new take on life.
The photos aren't popping
With increasing numbers of people searching for property online, photographs play a huge part role in attracting would-be buyers.
It’s difficult to be objective about your own home, consider getting a buddy to check out the photos on your property’s listing and provide some frank feedback.
Property photographers usually take more photos than what winds up on the internet listing, so ask your estate agent if you can see other available choices or even get new pictures taken.
This can be particularly helpful if, for instance, it was snowy outside when the original photos were taken and they’re still within the advert in the summer, because the snowy pictures will immediately let buyers know your house continues to be languishing available on the market for many months.
Your property is difficult to mortgage
The kind of property you have could be a hardship on buyers to obtain a mortgage on.
Mortgage lenders could be less prepared to lend on flats above shops, properties having a short lease or homes made of unusual materials.
Talk to your agent to see if this may be a problem for your house and if you will find any extra steps you can take for example offering to extend the lease included in the condition of sale.
It’s a bad time to sell
The time of year you list your home might have an impact on how long it takes to market.
Research suggests March is the greatest season to list a house – but it might be right down to what's happening in the wider economy.
Brexit uncertainty may be making buyers more wary of making a deal on a property. Speak to your agent about how Brexit is impacting buyer behaviour in your town.
To decide if prices go up, down or stayed exactly the same in your town recently, check out our interactive house prices map.