Zoopla: Half of homes sell within two months of listing

Homes in England and Wales spend an average of 36 days on the market before a sale is agreed, research suggests.

Analysis of first quarter market activity by Zoopla shows 52% of sales are agreed within the first two months of a home being listed, up from 49% last year.

To complete a sale, sellers and buyers will typically need another four to six months, depending on the complexity of the transaction, Zoopla said.

There are significant regional variations, according to the research.

Homes in the North West and North East regions of England take on average 32 days to sell and account for six of the top ten fastest moving markets in England and Wales (Manchester, Carlisle, Stockport Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne and Halton).  

However, Waltham Forest in North East London tops the list this year when it comes to the fastest moving markets in England and Wales, sitting at an average of 19 days. 

When it comes to the entirety of the UK, homes in Scotland tend to move the fastest, spending an average of 21 days on the market before a sale is agreed.

This is 13 days faster than the UK average of 34 days and is perhaps helped by the different home buying process in Scotland.

Where homes don’t attract sufficient demand and sellers and agents reduce the asking price by 5% or more, these homes take almost twice as long to sell, an average of 43 days. 

Two and three-bed homes are the fastest-selling property type, with flats and 4+ bed homes taking longer to sell due to increased supply and greater choice for home buyers. The average time to sell a two-bed home is 23 days, two days faster than the previous year, Zoopla said.

Flats and 4+ bed homes take the longest time to find a buyer, taking an average of 31 days and 38 days, respectively. The early weeks of 2025 saw a double-digit increase (18 per cent) in the number of flats on the market, with a more modest increase of seven per cent in the number of houses for sale. This increase in supply is running well ahead of new sales agreed, something that is significantly impacting the time to sell for these types of properties.

Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said:

“It currently takes just over a month to agree a home sale across England and Wales but this varies widely across the country and by property type with smaller family homes the fastest selling homes.  

“Metrics like time to sell and average sale price are crucial in helping would-be sellers understand the value of their home and the asking price they could secure in 2025. Buyers have a lot more choice of homes for sale than a year ago. Aiming too high on the asking price is likely to impact saleability and how long you may have to wait to agree a sale.

‘This is partly why Zoopla’s MyHome is seeing such significant user engagement, with 1.6m homeowners returning to the tool every month. This is just the beginning, with more innovation planned in Zoopla’s pipeline that will better educate sellers and ultimately connect more motivated movers with agents to deliver improved return on investment.”

Commenting on the report, Nigel Bishop, founder of Recoco Property Search, said:

“Setting the right asking price often dictates how quickly a property will sell. Some sellers learn this the hard way and are eventually forced to accept a price reduction. It’s simple, really. House hunters base their search on various criteria but the budget tends to be the deciding factor. Whilst some properties will demand a premium due to location or nearby amenities, we are seeing fewer buyers willing to enter bidding wars – especially in parts of the UK where numerous properties have been put up for sale.”

Toby Leek, president of NAEA Propertymark, said:

“As the year progresses it’s extremely upbeat to witness a strong sense of self-assurance from buyers approaching the housing market. Regions such as the North West and North East have seen phenomenal growth over the last twenty-five years in terms of new infrastructure and jobs market appeal. 

“This in turn has magnetised people towards certain towns and cities, as homebuyers search out a perfect location to potentially settle. There has been considerable public and private investment within such areas, with many large companies also choosing to locate their staff within key northern locations for the same positive reasons – mainly based on enhanced transport links and lower costs.”

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