Homes selling as fast as last year
First time buyers in outer London hit hardest as higher borrowing costs and high stamp duty costs weigh on sales times
- The average time to sell a home is just 1 day longer than last year at 33 days, despite higher mortgage rates and 2 months of conflict in the Middle East
- However, areas in London’s outer boroughs popular with first time buyers have seen a jump in sales times – homes in South East London are taking 34% longer to sell
- Buyer enquiries have rebounded after Easter to their highest level since the conflict began, running just 2% below last year, as mortgage rates start to drift lower
- Sales agreed running just 3% lower than last year, with UK house price inflation holding steady at 1.3%
- Northern England regions and Scotland seeing fastest price growth and shortest sales times, with every city seeing price falls being in southern England
Despite the dual impact of conflict in the Middle East and higher mortgage rates, Zoopla’s latest House Price Index reveals that the average time to sell a home has increased by just one day year on year.
This reveals a resilient housing market where households who need to move appear to be getting on with it. Homes are selling as fast as last year across more than half of UK regions, despite higher mortgage rates. Sellers in London face longer to find buyers, however.
Table 1: Time to sell remains broadly unchanged across the country despite conflict and higher mortgage rates
The report finds that sales agreed are just 3% down on last year with a clear rebound in buyer enquiries after the Easter break, with those looking to move encouraged by a ceasefire and mortgage rates starting to drift lower. Zoopla’s house price index shows UK house price inflation is holding steady at 1.3%, compared to 1.8% a year ago with the average price of a UK home sitting at £271,700.
Longer sales times in first time buyer markets in and around London
London, and its surrounding areas, is the region that stands out as being most impacted by recent events, with the average home taking almost a week longer to sell (6 days) in the capital as well as in more affordable commuter areas.
However, this isn’t a central London story. In fact, the biggest increases in time to sell have been registered in markets further out of the centre, which are more dependent on first time buyers (FTBs). In turn, these buyers are more sensitive to higher mortgage rates and already face much higher stamp duty costs than first time buyers elsewhere in England.
Movers in the Harrow postal area face the longest sale time at 54 days – a 65% increase compared to just 33 days a year ago. South East London is up 34% to 43 days, East London up 29% to 36 days, with Uxbridge and Bromley both seeing increases of around 7 days. The same pattern extends into the wider commuter belt, with Dartford up 28% to 37 days, Peterborough up by a quarter (26%) to 48 days, and Slough up 18% to 46 days.
Mortgage rates are important but so are buying costs. Zoopla’s data shows that 4 in 5 FTBs in London pay stamp duty equivalent to 3% of the purchase price. This is in stark contrast to FTBs elsewhere in England where less than 1 in 10 pay stamp duty and at much lower cost.
Table 2: Average mortgage rates for new business (Source: Bank of England, Bankstats)
Fastest and slowest markets tell two very different stories
UK house price inflation is holding steady at 1.3% year on year, supported by enough transactions completing to keep prices stable nationally. The North-South divide in both sales speed and price growth is likely to persist through 2026.
Across the rest of the country, time to sell is broadly tracking last year closely. Scotland remains the fastest market in the UK at just 15 days, unchanged from last year. Northern regions of England are all within a day or two of last year’s pace, with fewer homes for sale than a year ago creating scarcity that is supporting both sales speed and price growth.
House price growth reflects this divide. The North East is the strongest performing region in Great Britain, seeing a 3.2% increase year on year, followed by the North West at 3.1% and Scotland at 2.6%, while Northern Ireland continues to lead the UK at 6.7%. Within these regions, cities like Liverpool are seeing some of the strongest price growth in the country (4.5%), followed by Manchester and Newcastle, which both see increases of 3% YoY.
However, the South tells the opposite story. London and the South East are both seeing prices fall marginally at -0.2%, with the South West barely in positive territory at 0.1%. Within these regions, cities including Bournemouth at -1.7%, Cambridge at -0.9% and Brighton at -1.1% are among the weakest performing markets.
Table 3: House price inflation %yoy – February 2026
Commenting on the report, Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, said: “Homes are taking just one day longer to sell than this time last year. That is a strong result given increased uncertainty and mortgage rates rising sharply in March. Buyer enquiries have rebounded after Easter and with mortgage rates starting to fall, we expect the market to remain active through the rest of the year. Households who need to move are getting on with it though market conditions vary widely between North and South.
For sellers, the message is clear – well-priced homes are still finding buyers in the same time as last year across much of the country. For buyers, mortgage rates are drifting lower and there is greater choice of homes for sale. The best-value homes are moving quickly, particularly in northern cities and Scotland whereas the room for negotiation is greater across southern regions.”
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