Half of UK homes 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, this hides a widening gap between fast, improving local markets and weaker areas - with some being just a few miles from each other.
Around half (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, with 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.
On the other hand, 145 markets have registered decreases in time to sell, including North West Leicestershire, an improving market in the East Midlands just an hour away from Melton.
Fastest and slowest selling markets
Higher average mortgage rates compared to the start of the year has added to buying costs more broadly and 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.
Westminster (London) and Teignbridge (South West) are also in the top three slowest selling markets, with the average home taking 63 days to sell in each market. Westminster’s slower speed reflects the capital’s higher buying costs and higher house prices, while Teignbridge’s reflects both higher council tax levels in second home hotspots as well as more choice available.
Outside of Melton, markets in Southern England make up the entirety of the top 10 slowest moving markets, with North East Lincolnshire marking the first appearance outside southern England at the 17th slowest market.
On the other hand, the 10 fastest selling markets are all in Scotland, led by Falkirk, where the average property sells in just 11 days. This is followed by Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire, where homes go in 13 days. It takes until 20th place for a non Scottish market to appear, with Carlisle and Barnsley being England’s fastest selling markets at 23 days each.
This speed reflects the Scottish sales market working differently to the rest of Britain, and homes generally being more affordable. Homes in Scotland are typically marketed as ‘offers over’ a price with all homes having a valuation and home survey available that provides buyers more certainty earlier in the process.
Regional gap between fastest and slowest selling areas widens
Looking regionally across Britain, there is a clear, growing gap between each region’s fastest and slowest selling areas. For example, Aberdeenshire in Scotland takes 45 days to sell, almost five weeks longer than those in Falkirk. Low levels of investment in the oil and gas industry over the last decade have hit demand for homes in North East Scotland around Aberdeen, while Falkirk is accessible to the economies across the central belt of Scotland.
Similarly, properties in Melton take over 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. Six of the eleven regions analysed have differences of four weeks or more between their fastest and slowest selling markets, while Wales has the tightest market difference of just three weeks.
When it comes to regional hot spots, 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. On the other hand, properties in London’s Waltham Forest are now taking eight days longer to sell on average, despite this being the London region’s best performing housing market on the time to find a buyer.
