“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 a greater choice of homes for sale”
– Richard Donnell – Zoopla
The average time to sell a UK home has increased by just one day year on year, rising to 33 days despite higher mortgage rates and two months of conflict in the Middle East, according to Zoopla’s latest house price index.
Sales agreed are running 3% below last year, while buyer enquiries have rebounded after Easter to their highest level since the conflict began, sitting just 2% below last year’s pace. UK house price inflation is holding steady at 1.3%, compared to 1.8% a year ago, with the average UK home now priced at £271,700. Mortgage rates, having risen sharply in March, are beginning to drift lower.
Table 1: Time to sell remains broadly unchanged across the country despite conflict and higher mortgage rates
Longer sales times in first-time buyer markets
London and its surrounding commuter areas stand out as the most affected region, with the average home taking almost six days longer to sell than a year ago. The story is not one of central London weakness, however.
The sharpest increases in sales times have been recorded in outer boroughs and more affordable commuter towns, where first-time buyers make up a larger share of demand. Those buyers are both more sensitive to higher mortgage rates and already face significantly higher stamp duty costs than first-time buyers elsewhere in England.
Zoopla’s data shows that four in five first-time buyers in London pay stamp duty equivalent to 3% of the purchase price, compared to fewer than one in ten first-time buyers elsewhere in England, who pay stamp duty at a much lower rate.
Homes in the Harrow postal area now take 54 days to sell, up 65% from 33 days a year ago. South East London is taking 34% longer at 43 days, East London is up 29% to 36 days, and both Uxbridge and Bromley have seen sales times extend by around seven days. The same pattern runs into the wider commuter belt: Dartford is up 28% to 37 days, Peterborough up 26% to 48 days, and Slough up 18% to 46 days.
Table 2: Average mortgage rates for new business (Source: Bank of England, Bankstats)
Fastest and slowest markets
The north-south divide in both sales speed and price growth is sharpening. Scotland remains the UK’s fastest market at just 15 days, unchanged from last year. Northern regions of England are tracking within a day or two of last year’s pace, with lower levels of available stock creating scarcity that is supporting both sales speed and price growth.
House price growth reflects the divide clearly. The North East is the strongest performing region in Great Britain at 3.2% year on year, followed by the North West at 3.1% and Scotland at 2.6%. Northern Ireland continues to lead the UK at 6.7%. At city level, Liverpool is recording some of the country’s strongest price growth at 4.5%, with Manchester and Newcastle both up 3%.
The South tells the opposite story. London and the South East are each seeing prices fall marginally at -0.2%, while the South West is barely positive at 0.1%. Bournemouth is among the weakest markets at -1.7%, with Brighton at -1.1% and Cambridge at -0.9%.
Table 3: House price inflation % year on year, February 2026
“Homes are taking just one day longer to sell than this time last year,” said Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla.
“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 a 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.”
On the ground, agents are reporting a similar picture.
“Our agent members are reporting a market that’s holding together better than many expected, but with very different conditions depending on location and buyer type,” said Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark.
“Well-priced homes are still moving quickly, but in first-time buyer hotspots, especially across outer London, agents are seeing hesitation creep in as affordability pressures bite. What’s notable is the rebound in enquiries post-Easter, which suggests underlying demand hasn’t disappeared, it’s just more price-sensitive and cautious.”
“For property professionals, this means sharper pricing strategies, clearer communication with sellers, and more support for buyers navigating higher upfront costs. This isn’t a stalled market, it’s a more selective one, and agents are working harder on behalf of buyers and sellers to keep transactions progressing.”
The challenges facing first-time buyers in the capital are particularly acute, according to James Nightingall, of property search service HomeFinder AI. “London has one of the country’s most active but also volatile property markets,” he said.
“Geopolitical developments and economic factors such as mortgage rates have a major impact on buyer confidence and affordability. Particularly, first-time buyers, who often depend on favourable lending conditions, are facing more challenging market conditions compared to last year. With inflation on the rise and lenders having removed some mortgage deals, the majority of first-time buyers will remain cautious, which means some properties will sit on the market for longer.”
Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, said, “The impact of the Middle East conflict on the UK housing market has not yet fully materialised. The disappearance of sub-4% mortgages, a looming inflationary hump caused by higher energy costs, and a government reportedly considering responses like rent controls mean the impact will linger for much of this year. That will keep downward pressure on prices and, to a lesser extent, transaction volumes.”
Rural markets are presenting their own dynamics. “The rural property markets have seen drastic price adjustments over the past year,” said Nigel Bishop of Recoco Property Search.
“Sellers have come to terms with the fact that they can no longer achieve the inflated asking prices seen during the pandemic. Adding to property prices, seeing a dip is a growing imbalance between supply and demand. Higher taxes triggered many second-home owners to put their property up for sale. In some parts of the country, this has created an oversupply, inevitably creating a buyers’ market that allows more room for price negotiations.”
Iain McKenzie, chief executive of The Guild of Property Professionals, struck a cautiously optimistic note. “The latest Zoopla HPI underscores just how resilient the UK housing market remains, even against a backdrop of geopolitical tension and elevated borrowing costs,” he said.
“A marginal increase of just one day in the average time to sell is a clear indication that activity has held firm despite two months of conflict in the Middle East and continued mortgage rate pressures. What we’re seeing is a market that is behaving rationally rather than reactively.”
