The quietest home moving spots in the UK have been identified following research by homebuying platform, YesHomebuyers,
Based on the average number of annual transactions over the last 5 years areas such as Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cornwall have seen in excess of 10,000 homes sold per year on average, but not everywhere across the UK has seen the same rate of homes change hands.
Since 2016, an average of just 196 properties per year have been sold across the City of London, the lowest of all areas of the UK.
Rutland in the East Midlands has seen just 676 homes sold per year, while Merthyr Tydfil is the third quietest spot of the UK and the quietest in Wales, with an average of just 715 homes sold annually.
Richmondshire in Yorkshire and Humber sees an average of 748 properties sold per year, with Oadby and Wigston (760) and Melton (798) joining Rutland in the top 10 as some of the quietest spots in the East Midlands and wider UK market.
Blaenau Gwent (854) ranks as the seventh quietest spot in the UK market, followed by Clackmannanshire (902) which is also the quietest spot in Scotland.
Eden (914) in the North West and West Devon (924) in the South West complete the top 10 and are the quietest spots of the property market in their respective regions.
Commenting on the numbers, Matthew Cooper, Founder & Managing Director of Yes Homebuyers, commented:
“The UK market is incredibly diverse and there are a whole host of reasons that might see an area clock up very few transactions each and every year. The City of London is a good example of a pocket of the market that is small in size and fairly sparse in terms of stock, as much of the area is focused on commercial property.”
“Other areas may share the same geographical restrictions or they may be home to a vast landmass that is dominated by a rural landscape, again resulting in a lower level of available stock. A lack of transport links, amenities, or housing suitable for families or single working professionals may also have an influence on the level of homes sold every year, and so while these are the quietest spots of the property market we’re certainly not suggesting they are the least popular.”
Meanwhile estate agency Keller Williams UK has revealed which postcodes have seen the highest value of homes sold so far in 2021.
Residential property sales hit £68.8bn in value across England and Wales so far in 2021. The top 10 is predictably dominated by London, with the NW3 postcode, covering parts of Camden and Barnet, topping the table where total value of homes sold is concerned. £262.5m worth of property has been sold in this one postcode alone since the start of the year.
The SW19 (£248.8m), SW11 (£235m) and SW18 (£228m) postcodes also make the top 10, as do the W8 (£226m), W11 (£212.4m), SW6 (£212m), E17 (£202m) and NW11 (£198m) postcodes.
The only postcode in the top 10 outside of the M25 was BN3 in Brighton and Hove. Here £206m worth of homes have sold since the start of the year.
Excluding London Brighton’s BN2 postcode also makes the list (£157m), along with the SL6 postcode in Maidenhead (£169.7m), the Dorset postcode of BN2 (£157m), SO41 in the New Forest (£125.9m), the Manchester postcode of WA15 (£120.7m), Southend’s SS9 postcode (£118.5m), BA2 in Bath (£117.1m) and Horsham’s RH12 postcode (£112.3m).
CEO of Keller Williams UK, Ben Taylor, commented:
“Despite London seeing a somewhat lethargic performance in terms of property price growth over the last year, it remains home to the majority of the top postcodes in terms of the highest value of homes sold so far this year.
“However, while the capital continues to dominate the headlines, the UK property market is far from a one-trick pony. When looking outside of the M25 there is a range of areas performing very strongly spanning the length and breadth of the UK and it will be interesting to see which postcodes remain the most valuable come the end of the year.”
