The 25 locations where homes sell the fastest in November 2023

We track the speed of property sales in the UK - the time it takes from a property being listed for sale to being sold subject to contract.

So, are houses still selling fast? No, not compared to the last three years - our latest analysis shows that UK property is selling in 34 days on average.

This is 12 days slower than the average speed of sales between 2020 and 2022. However, it mirrors pre-pandemic trends for early autumn.

More challenging market conditions and higher mortgage rates mean it generally takes longer to sell a home now than in the last three years.

The fastest regional housing markets are the North East and the North West, where the average property is snapped up in 30 days. This is quicker than the pre-pandemic time to sell for these areas.

The 25 fastest locations to sell a home in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

With value for money now playing a much bigger role in the housing market, there’s been a great deal of change to our list in the last year.

Only nine of last year’s fastest housing markets are still in the top 25. The places that have fallen off the list are where demand has dropped.

More affordable housing markets are seeing less of an impact from higher mortgage rates. Many northern areas feature on our fastest markets list because house prices are generally lower up north, so markets remain competitive and homes are selling faster.

We’ve excluded Scotland from our analysis as it has a different selling system to the rest of the UK. Buyers get more information upfront and are encouraged to make offers above an advertised price, which leads to faster sales.

Why is ‘time to sell’ worth looking at?

Time to sell is an important measure for anyone looking to buy or sell a home. It’s a strong indication of buyer demand: the quicker homes are selling, the more demand from buyers.

For a seller, looking at average sale times can help you know how long you’re likely to wait for an offer. What’s more, fast sales in your area or for your property type can be an indication you’ll get more interest in your property. This can help you decide whether to accept an offer.

For a buyer, time to sell can help you understand how much interest sellers are likely to be getting. This can help you make the right offer on a property at the right time.

Which types of property are selling the fastest right now?

Properties selling fastest in large cities

Liverpool is the place where properties sell the fastest in England. The typical seller agrees an offer within 17 days - twice as fast as the UK average.

The second and third fastest housing markets are Manchester and Salford, where the average time to sell is 21 and 23 days respectively.

Cities such as Sheffield, Newcastle, Bristol and Cardiff have also made our list, with properties selling in 27 days or less.

Many of these housing markets have now returned to their typical pre-pandemic pace, when homes were snapped up quickest in regional cities.

It's unusual to see places like Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead and Carlisle ranking among our fastest markets. These aren’t places where homes have sold particularly quickly in the past, but it reflects the current strength of cheaper housing markets.

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More affordable markets see a faster time to sell 

In the last year, buyer demand has been higher in more affordable housing markets. The North West and North East of England have seen strong buyer demand, offering average house prices £125,000 and £72,000 lower than the national average respectively.

Time to sell is still much faster than before the pandemic in these affordable northern regions. In the North East, a time to sell of 30 days is 2 weeks quicker than the pre-pandemic average of 44 days.

The average house price is cheaper than the regional average in 14 out of 15 of our fastest housing markets. They're typically 16% below the regional average.

This includes house prices being lower in Sheffield than in Yorkshire, Port Talbot than in Wales, Gateshead than in the North East and Carlisle than in the North West. 

In Hartlepool, the typical home is 19% cheaper than the North West's average and properties are selling one day faster than a year ago.

Selling a home takes two weeks longer in the South, Wales and the Midlands

In the Midlands, Wales and the South of England (excluding London) the average time to sell is a whole two weeks slower than last year.

There is reduced appetite to buy from people using mortgages. This means fewer buyers looking for properties, which in turn means they take longer to sell.

While time to sell is much slower than the last couple of years, it’s similar to before the pandemic. The average amount of time it usually took to sell at this time of year was 35 days.

How long does it take to sell a house after you’ve agreed an offer?

Our data only looks at the time it takes between a property being listed for sale and being sold subject to contract.

After that, there’s still a lot that needs to happen before you can move.

The conveyancing and mortgage application process usually takes between 3 and 4 weeks, but it might be longer - especially if you’re in a chain.

Then you’ll exchange contracts, which is when you and the buyer are both legally locked into the sale.

The day you’re really waiting for is completion day, when you hand over the keys. This usually happens 1 to 3 weeks after exchange. But like a lot of things in the home moving process, it can be quicker or slower than that.

Our guide goes into more detail about the timeline of selling a home:

How long does it take to sell a house?

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