Regional Divide Grows in British Property Market as Half of Local Authorities See Slower Sales

A report from property platform Zoopla indicates that homes in 180 out of 363 local authorities in England, Scotland, and Wales are taking longer to sell than they did a year ago. While the national average time to secure a buyer has remained static at 42 days, this figure masks a widening gap between high performing and sluggish local markets. In some locations, properties are selling nearly seven times faster than in others.

Falkirk, Scotland, recorded the fastest average time to sell at 11 days. The ten fastest selling markets were all located in Scotland, which Zoopla attributed to the relative affordability of homes and a different sales process involving home surveys and offers over pricing. In England, Barnsley and Carlisle were the fastest markets at 23 days each. Conversely, Melton in the East Midlands saw the longest average time to sell at 76 days, which is a 21 day increase from July 2025. Other slow markets included Westminster and Teignbridge.

Zoopla attributed these delays to higher average mortgage rates that have led prospective buyers to adopt a wait and see strategy. One report further linked this mortgage volatility to the conflict involving Iran, noting that lenders pulled deals in March and that average two year fixed residential mortgage rates rose from 4.83 percent in February to 5.61 percent recently. Richard Donnell, an executive director at Zoopla, stated that the national stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets.