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The property website Zoopla has identified the areas in England and Wales where homes are selling most quickly.
On average, sellers are accepting offers 36 days after first listing their properties for sale, but in the fastest markets, that figure drops to just 19 days. Overall, 52% of properties sell within two months of listing, up 3% from last year.
While some sales can be agreed in less than three weeks, Zoopla found that it typically takes four to six months to complete a sale.
Read on to find out more about the fastest markets and how the type of property impacts the time it takes to agree a sale.
Zoopla's research shows that four of the top five fastest property markets in England and Wales are in the north of England.
The fastest-selling areas in England and Wales are as follows:
Carlisle is the second-cheapest local authority to make the list. Situated in the North West, just south of the border with Scotland, it's the only city in Cumbria. Carlisle has excellent train links, with direct services to Glasgow, Manchester and London.
Time to sell: 20 days
Average asking price: £160,000
Manchester offers vibrant nightlife, great food and a wealth of sport and entertainment, so it’s no surprise that buyers are snapping up property in the city. Add in house prices that are significantly lower than in London, and the city’s appeal becomes even clearer.
Time to sell: 19 days
Average asking price: £240,000
At the top of the list is Waltham Forest, a borough in east London. It’s home to Walthamstow Village, a popular area known for its independent shops and cafés.
The area is well connected for commuters working in central London, either via the Victoria underground line or overground services into London Liverpool Street.
The average house price in Waltham Forest is more than £150,000 higher than the other locations in the top 10, highlighting the added cost of living in the capital. However, by London standards, it remains relatively affordable, especially when compared with boroughs where average property prices approach £1 million.
Time to sell: 19 days
Average asking price: £525,000
| Waltham Forest | London | 19 | £525,000 |
| Manchester | North West | 19 | £240,000 |
| Carlisle | North West | 20 | £160,000 |
| Stockport | North West | 22 | £300,000 |
| Gateshead | North East | 22 | £150,000 |
| Redditch | West Midlands | 22 | £270,000 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | North East | 23 | £172,000 |
Source: Zoopla Research. Days on the market for homes listed for sale in the previous 3 months. The average asking price is the median.
While the north dominates the fastest-moving property markets, the south of England and Wales feature heavily among the slowest.
Denbighshire in Wales has the slowest-moving market, with sales taking more than two months to be agreed, on average. Despite Welsh local authorities accounting for just 6% of all local authorities in Wales and England, three feature among the 10 slowest housing markets.
Property markets in Wales are generally slower than other parts of the UK. The fastest-moving area in Wales is Torfaen, where sales are agreed in an average of 29 days – still some way behind the quickest markets in England.
It’s no surprise to see London boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea on the list. While many might dream of living in a mews in central London, sky-high property prices make that a reality for very few. With such a limited pool of potential buyers, homes in these areas take much longer to sell.
| Denbighsire | Wales | 62 | £180,000 |
| Westminster | London | 61 | £797,500 |
| East Lindsey | East Midlands | 59 | £200,000 |
| Gwynedd | Wales | 59 | £195,000 |
| Angus | Scotland | 58 | £152,500 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | London | 58 | £985,000 |
| Canterbury | Southeast | 56 | £335,000 |
Source: Zoopla Research. Days on the market for homes listed for sale in the previous 3 months. The average asking price is the median.
Zoopla also analysed how property type influences the time it takes to sell.
Two and three-bedroom houses are currently the fastest-selling, with an average time to agree a sale of 23 days and 24 days respectively. They're also the only property types selling more quickly than at this time last year.
In contrast, homes with four or more bedrooms take the longest to sell, averaging 38 days, up from 32 days a year ago. Flats are also taking longer to sell compared with last year.
Zoopla attributes this to an increase in the supply of these types of property, without a rise in demand. For example, there was an 18% increase in the number of flats for sale at the start of 2025, compared with just a 7% rise in overall housing supply.
House prices continue to rise year on year. The latest Land Registry data shows an annual increase of 5.4%, with the average price reaching £268,000 in February. However, month on month, there was no change to the average house price between January and February.
As Land Registry data is released with a two-month lag, it won't be until later in the year that we find out whether the new stamp duty thresholds caused a fall in house prices, to accommodate the additional costs of buying a home.
To stay up to date with the latest house price data and predictions, check our story on what's happening to house prices.
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