Average property discounts hit all-time high
8th February 2012
- Over a third of all properties currently for sale have had asking price cut
- Average UK asking price discount now at all-time high of £19,580
- Biggest reductions currently on offer in Glasgow, Blackpool and Maidstone
Over a third (36.7%) of UK properties for sale currently have been reduced in price at least once since first coming onto the market. The average discount off the original asking price being offered by sellers across the UK on these homes now stands at £19,580 (7.5%), according to property search website Zoopla.co.uk.
The average discount on price-reduced properties on offer today is over £1,000 more than this time last year when it stood at £18,475 (7%). Homeowners have slashed huge sums from their original asking prices in an attempt to attract buyers. The total amount reduced from the asking prices of all properties currently for sale across the country stands at £2.5 billion.
Zoopla.co.uk, which lists hundreds of thousands of properties for sale, offers a unique facility on its website that lets users sort search results by those that have been most reduced in price, highlighting potential property bargains to home buyers across the UK.
Glasgow tops the list of places where the biggest discounts are currently on offer with an average price reduction of 9.2% (£12,566). Sellers in Blackpool are also making big concessions, knocking 9% off their original asking prices on average, whilst Maidstone rounds out the top three areas with the highest average reductions in price at 8.5% (£19,668).
Stockport has the highest proportion of discounted properties for sale with nearly half (49%) of sellers having cut their asking prices at least once. Other areas where a big proportion of sellers have felt the need to drop prices include Chesterfield (45%) and Rotherham (44%).
Nicholas Leeming, business development director of Zoopla.co.uk, commented: “The current average discount of £19,580 is a new high indicating that sellers have come to terms with the market realities. Pricing correctly remains key when selling a home and whilst there is a shortage of sale stock currently, buyers are more discerning and more informed than ever before. Serious sellers must do their homework and follow the advice of their agent before settling on an asking price – otherwise they may well find their property on the market for longer than they’d hoped.”
Top 10 Areas with Biggest Asking Price Reductions
| Rank | Area | Avg. Price Reduction (%) | Avg. Price Reduction (£) | % of Homes on Market Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow | -9.16% | -£12,566 | 42.73% |
| 2 | Scunthorpe | -9.12% | -£13,207 | 43.19% |
| 3 | Blackpool | -8.97% | -£12,316 | 27.45% |
| 4 | Newcastle | -8.77% | -£21,823 | 36.99% |
| 5 | Rotherham | -8.62% | -£13,671 | 44.07% |
| 6 | Hull | -8.48% | -£9,674 | 34.60% |
| 7 | Maidstone | -8.46% | -£19,668 | 35.70% |
| 8 | Liverpool | -8.34% | -£14,355 | 39.36% |
| 9 | Bradford | -8.21% | -£11,675 | 38.05% |
| 10 | Preston | -8.21% | -£18,000 | 41.60% |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk (February 2012)
Top 10 Areas with Highest Proportion of Asking Price Reductions
| Rank | Area | % of Properties Reduced | Avg. Price Reduction (%) | Avg. Price Reduction (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stockport | 48.74% | -8.11% | -£17,384 |
| 2 | Chesterfield | 45.17% | -7.87% | -£14,028 |
| 3 | Rotherham | 44.07% | -8.62% | -£13,671 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe | 43.19% | -9.12% | -£13,207 |
| 5 | Wakefield | 43.14% | -7.58% | -£14,687 |
| 6 | Glasgow | 42.73% | -9.16% | -£12,566 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 41.77% | -7.76% | -£11,878 |
| 8 | Warrington | 41.75% | -8.02% | -£16,339 |
| 9 | Leeds | 41.61% | -6.90% | -£13,304 |
| 10 | Preston | 41.60% | -8.21% | -£18,000 |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk (February 2012)
Top 10 Areas with Smallest Asking Price Reductions
| Rank | Area | Avg. Price Reduction (%) | Avg. Price Reduction (£) | % of Properties Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelmsford | -5.93% | -£20,329 | 37.54% |
| 2 | York | -6.01% | -£17,031 | 31.83% |
| 3 | Swindon | -6.20% | -£12,455 | 41.58% |
| 4 | Bristol | -6.23% | -£14,658 | 34.94% |
| 5 | Bedford | -6.26% | -£16,518 | 41.37% |
| 6 | Plymouth | -6.30% | -£11,222 | 38.01% |
| 7 | Luton | -6.32% | -£12,067 | 40.94% |
| 8 | London | -6.42% | -£41,791 | 29.53% |
| 9 | Northampton | -6.54% | -£13,281 | 36.65% |
| 10 | Croydon | -6.55% | -£18,561 | 39.07% |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk (February 2012)
Top 10 Areas with Lowest Proportion of Asking Price Reductions
| Rank | Area | % of Properties Reduced | Avg. Price Reduction (%) | Avg. Price Reduction (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 27.45% | -8.97% | -£12,316 |
| 2 | Bolton | 29.11% | -8.11% | -£13,980 |
| 3 | London | 29.53% | -6.42% | -£41,791 |
| 4 | Derby | 30.75% | -6.87% | -£11,738 |
| 5 | York | 31.83% | -6.01% | -£17,031 |
| 6 | Wigan | 32.80% | -7.37% | -£10,157 |
| 7 | Hull | 34.60% | -8.48% | -£9,674 |
| 8 | Bristol | 34.94% | -6.23% | -£14,658 |
| 9 | Maidstone | 35.70% | -8.46% | -£19,668 |
| 10 | Bournemouth | 35.81% | -7.03% | -£16,603 |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk (February 2012)
- Ends -
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