The average time to sell a home is nearly seven times faster in some parts of Britain than others – with around half of local authority areas recording longer times to sell than a year earlier, according to a property website.
While the average time to sell of 42 days has remained unchanged in the year to July, this masks a widening gap between faster local markets and weaker areas, Zoopla said.
The website said around half (180 of the 363) of the local authorities it analysed had seen an increase in the average number of days taken to sell a property in the past year.
In Melton in the East Midlands, Zoopla said it took 76 days on average to sell the average home – a 21-day increase compared with July 2025.
In Falkirk in Scotland, the average selling time is around seven times faster at just 11 days – one day less for the area than a year earlier.
Higher average mortgage rates have led to a “wait and see” approach for more buyers – lengthening the time it takes to find a buyer across many regional and local housing markets, Zoopla said.
Many of the faster markets are in Scotland, and the website said the speed reflects the Scottish sales market working differently to the rest of Britain, and homes generally being relatively affordable.
Homes in Scotland are typically marketed as “offers over” a price, with homes having a valuation and home survey available, Zoopla added.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “While the national time to sell has barely moved, that stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets.
“In areas like Melton in Leicestershire, homes are taking noticeably longer to sell than a year ago, while markets just a short drive away are speeding up.”
He suggested: “If you’re selling in a slower market, don’t take a ‘wait and see’ approach – talk to a local agent who knows what’s happening street by street, and make sure your home is priced right from day one.”
Zoopla’s “time to sell” research tracked the period from homes being first listed on the market to estate agents reporting sales agreed. Some local authorities were excluded from the research due to small sample sizes.
When it comes to regional hot spots, Barnsley and Newcastle-under-Lyme are among the areas selling much faster than last year according to the website – with Barnsley sellers seeing an average speed increase of 13 days, and those in Newcastle-under-Lyme seeing an average 11 day speed increase.
Here are the fastest selling hotspots, according to Zoopla, with the average number of days to sell a property. The figures were taken in July 2026:
1. Falkirk, 11
=2. Renfrewshire, 13
=2. North Lanarkshire, 13
=4. South Lanarkshire, 14
=4. East Ayrshire, 14
=4. East Renfrewshire, 14
=4. West Dunbartonshire, 14
=8. Stirling, 15
=8. Glasgow City, 15
10. Clackmannanshire, 16
Here are the slowest selling local areas in the analysis, according to Zoopla, with the average number of days to sell a property. The figures were taken in July 2026:
1. Melton, 76
=2. Westminister, 63
=2. Teignbridge, 63
4. Torridge, 61
=5. Tower Hamlets, 60
=5. Isle of Wight, 60
=5. Thanet, 60
=5. North Devon, 60
=9. South Norfolk, 58
=9. Elmbridge, 58
Here are the slowest and fastest selling locations in nations and regions, according to Zoopla, with the average selling time in days:
East Midlands, Melton, 76, North West Leicestershire, 32
East of England, South Norfolk, 58, Rochford 33
London, Westminister, 63, Waltham Forest, 33
North East, Middlesborough, 54, North Tyneside, 26
North West, Eden, 55, Carlisle, 23
Scotland, Aberdeenshire, 45, Falkirk, 11
South East, Isle of Wight/Thanet, 60, Basingstoke and Deane, 29
South West, Teignbridge, 63, Plymouth, 33
Wales, Pembrokeshire, 50, Neath Port Talbot, 29
West Midlands, Wyre Forest/Shropshire, 49, Newcastle- under-Lyme, 27
Yorkshire and the Humber, North East Lincolnshire, 57, Barnsley, 23
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