Regional gap grows as more homes take longer to sell – Zoopla

Homes in half of Britain’s property markets are now taking longer to sell than this time last year, according to new analysis from Zoopla.

While the national average time to sell of 42 days has remained unchanged year-on-year to July 2026, the portal’s research found 180 of the 363 local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales have seen an increase in days taken to sell the average property in the last year.

There are even eight areas where sellers are now taking 60 days or longer to find a buyer. This is led by Melton in the East Midlands, where it now takes 76 days to sell the average home – a 21 day increase compared to July 2025, while Westminster and Teignbridge round out the three slowest markets.

The national time to sell has barely moved but that stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets.”

On the other hand, 145 markets have registered decreases in time to sell.

Regional divide

There are large regional gaps, even in neighbouring areas.

Homes in Aberdeenshire in Scotland have taken 45 days to sell on average, almost five weeks longer than those in Falkirk.

Similarly, properties in Melton take more than six weeks longer to sell than those in North West Leicestershire, which is connected to Leicester and Nottingham by the M1, despite the areas being less than an hour’s drive apart.

Barnsley and Newcastle-under-Lyme are among the areas selling much faster than last year – with Barnsley buyers seeing a speed increase of nearly two weeks, while Newcastle-under-Lyme follows at 11 days.

However, properties in London’s Waltham Forest are now taking eight days longer to sell on average at 33 days, despite this being the London region’s best performing housing market on the time to find a buyer.

While the national time to sell has barely moved, that stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets.”

Richard Donnell (pictured), Executive Director at Zoopla, says: “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.

“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. That’s still the biggest factor within a seller’s control, whatever the local market is doing.”