archiveZoopla

The pattern was also seen beyond the capital. Dartford rose to 37 days, Peterborough to 48 days and Slough to 46 days. Zoopla said four in five first-time buyers in London pay stamp duty equal to about 3% of the purchase price. Outside London, fewer than one in 10 first-time buyers in England pay the tax, and usually at a lower cost. The data also pointed to a continuing North-South split. Scotland remained the fastest-moving market, with homes taking an average of 15 days to sell, unchanged from a year...