Northampton is home to Britain's fastest moving property market
17th March 2017
- South East and East of England are the fastest moving regions in Britain – properties for sale go under offer in an average of 42 days
- Properties in Sutton are snapped up faster than any other London borough, under offer after 28 days on average
- It takes 47 days for the average British property to go under offer from when first listed
Northampton has the fastest moving property market in Britain, with homes listed for sale in the area taking an average of just 27 days to go under offer. According to new research from Zoopla, properties in the East Midlands town, receive offers 20 days faster on average than the rest of Britain (47 days).
Zoopla analysed the top 50 biggest towns by number of listings to identify the average length of time it took properties listed for sale on the website to go under offer.* The Buckinghamshire town of Milton Keynes came in second place, with properties going under offer in an average of 29 days, and is closely followed by the London commuter town of Croydon (30 days). The Scottish cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow check in at fourth and fifth place, averaging 32 and 33 days respectively.
On a regional level, properties in South East England and the East of England are home to the hottest property markets, with the average ‘for sale’ listing going under offer in 42 days. The East Midlands follows with an average of 44 days, marginally speedier than the property markets in neighbouring West Midlands (45 days) and London (46 days). Nationally, England ties with Scotland, both averaging 46 days overall – well ahead of Wales where the average where property is listed on site for 66 days before being offered on.
Within the nation’s capital, Sutton is ranked as the fastest moving London borough, with listings only taking an average of 28 days to go under offer. The London boroughs of Havering and Bexley are joint second quickest (averaging 29 days). Barking and Dagenham, in fourth place, is almost a week slower with ‘for sale’ properties taking an average of 35 days to come off the market.
Lawrence Hall, spokesperson for Zoopla comments: “Whether you're a first time or seasoned property seller, one thing that is impossible to predict is the timing of the first offer on your home. The national average period between listing a home for sale and achieving an offer is well under two months at 47 days, while sellers in Northampton can expect an offer in an average of just 27 days. Regardless of where you are selling, giving your home a bit of TLC and enlisting the help of a good estate agent with knowledge of the local market, is likely to help your sale."
Top 10 fastest moving towns in Britain| Rank | Town | Region | Average days to secure an offer | Average property value |
| 1 | Northampton | East Midlands | 27 | £245,288 |
| 2 | Milton Keynes | South East England | 29 | £299,079 |
| 3 | Croydon | London | 30 | £374,342 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | Scotland | 32 | £266,146 |
| 5 | Glasgow | Scotland | 33 | £175,552 |
| 6 | Bristol | South West England | 34 | £309,807 |
| 7 | Southampton | South East England | 34 | £279,769 |
| 8 | Coventry | West Midlands | 35 | £191,658 |
| 9 | Salford | North West England | 36 | £152,784 |
| 10 | Ipswich | East of England | 36 | £259,844 |
| Rank | Borough | Average days to secure an offer | Average property value (£) |
| 1 | Sutton | 28 | £436,422 |
| 2 | Havering | 29 | £376,496 |
| 3 | Bexley | 29 | £363,720 |
| 4 | Barking and Dagenham | 35 | £283,266 |
| 5 | Redbridge | 36 | £446,858 |
| 6 | Croydon | 37 | £428,195 |
| 7 | Enfield | 37 | £470,106 |
| 8 | Kingston upon Thames | 40 | £598,834 |
| 9 | Waltham Forest | 40 | £452,932 |
| 10 | Haringey | 40 | £657,544 |
| Rank | Region | Average days to secure an offer | Average property value (£) |
| 1 | South East England | 42 | £400,054 |
| 2 | East of England | 42 | £345,554 |
| 3 | East Midlands | 44 | £205,437 |
| 4 | West Midlands | 45 | £213,772 |
| 5 | Scotland | 46 | £180,374 |
| 6 | London | 46 | £659,627 |
| 7 | South West England | 50 | £285,406 |
| 8 | Yorkshire and The Humber | 55 | £170,841 |
| 9 | North West England | 55 | £184,960 |
| 10 | North East England | 61 | £184,275 |
| 11 | Wales | 66 | £179,890 |
- Ends -
For further information, please contact PR Team on pr@zoopla.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3873 8770.
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