Scottish towns set pace for speedy home sales

Compiled by property website Zoopla, the survey found that homes in Edinburgh and Falkirk were taking 27 days to sell, with properties in Glasgow and Stirling taking about a month. This compares to a 70-day average in London and an average across Britain as a whole of 56 days.Zoopla analysed the time of home sales in the nation's 50 biggest towns and cities, and also looked at the most commonly sold property types. In Manchester, for example, a three-bedroom semi-detached house was the most popular, while in Bristol it was a three-bedroom terrace house and, in London, a two-bedroom flat.

Home sellers pricing realistically

Publication of the survey coincided with a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) indicating that home sellers were becoming more realistic in pricing their properties.Almost two-thirds of surveyors were now reporting that, for homes listed for sale at up to £500,000, prices being paid by purchasers were in line with sellers' asking prices.But the RICS also said the volume of new properties coming on to the market was at its lowest since June 2016.And a separate report from Rightmove said more than 28 per cent of properties for sale on its website had been listed for longer than six months.

House sales affected by local market conditions

Miles Shipside, Rightmove's commercial director, said, "If you've failed to find a buyer after several months of marketing, then it could be that overall demand in your area is low due to local market conditions."However, if some properties are selling and yours is not, then you either have a property with limited appeal or the price is too high. If you're unlucky, it could be both."Fastest moving towns and cities for property sales, according to Zoopla – average number of days to secure an offer and average price:  1=  Falkirk, 27, £154,579
  1=  Edinburgh, 27, £298,575
  3    Glasgow, 31, £186,705
  4    Stirling, 32, £222,736
  5=  Cardiff, 37, £255,528
  5=  Coventry, 37, £215,909
  7    Newport (South Wales), 40, £187,842
  8=  Nottingham, 41, £207,456
  8=  Birmingham, 41, £207,474
10    Mansfield, 42, £156,763 Slowest moving towns and cities:
 1    Blackpool, 71, £122,306
 2    London, 70, £659,660
 3    Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 68, £209,693
 4    Hemel Hempstead, 65, £392,879
  5=  Bradford, 64, £135,798
  5=  Reading, 64, £430,006
  7    Preston, 63, £191,628
  8    Telford, 62, £178,444
  9    Doncaster, 60, £162,012
10    Swansea, 59, £180,239Average selling times by region:
  1   Scotland, 42, £192,147
  2   West Midlands, 46, £235,835
  3   East Midlands, 47, £224,942
  4   Yorkshire and the Humber, 54, £183,347
  5   South West England, 56, £309,519
  6   North West England, 57, £199,682
  7   East of England, 59, £361,195
  8   Wales, 60, £194,824
  9   South East England, 61, £402,266
10   North East England, 67, £193,274
11   London, 70, £659,660

---

Subscribe to Relocate Extra, our monthly newsletter, to get all the latest international assignments and global mobility news.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory

©2025 Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.