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Britain’s fastest property markets revealed: does your town make the list?

Houses are taking just 15 days to sell in one Scottish town

The property market is finally picking up, but finding a buyer for your home could be a marathon or a sprint depending on where you live.

A new report by Rightmove shows that the time it takes to agree a sale ranges from less than three weeks to more than three months. 

Read on to find out whether your town has one of Britain's hottest property markets, and for advice on what's happening to house prices and mortgage rates.

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Britain's fastest selling areas

On average, it takes around 60 days to find a buyer for a property in Great Britain, but some areas are bucking the trend.

Rightmove's data shows the five fastest markets are all in Scotland, with sales agreed in less than three weeks.

1. Carluke, Lanarkshire

  • Time to sell 15 days
  • Average asking price £170,000

With a population of around 13,000, Carluke is the largest town in the Clyde Valley. It’s a popular location for commuters, with direct trains to Glasgow, and easy access to Edinburgh and Lanark.

Carluke is situated close to the River Clyde and is famous for fruit growing. One of the most well-known employers in the town is the jam manufacturer R&W Scott Ltd, which was founded in 1873.

Countryside near Carluke, Lanarkshire.
Countryside near Carluke, Lanarkshire.

2. Giffnock, East Renfrewshire

  • Time to sell 16 days
  • Average asking price £364,000

Located to the south west of Glasgow, Giffnock has some of the highest house prices in Scotland. 

Originally a farming community, it's also known as the birthplace of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Douglas Nicol of Nicol Estate Agents says: 'Giffnock is one of the most popular suburbs in Glasgow, with excellent local amenities, transport links and some of the top-performing schools in Scotland.'

3. Uddingston, South Lanarkshire

  • Time to sell 17 days
  • Average asking price £219,000

Uddingston is a small town located to the south east of Glasgow. It boasts lots of green spaces, including the nearby Strathclyde Country Park.

It's also home to Tunnock’s, a brand known for its chocolate tea cakes and caramel wafer bars. 

The full top five

AreaRegionTime to sell (days)Asking price
CarlukeLanarkshire15£170,000
GiffnockEast Renfrewshire16£364,000
UddingstonSouth Lanarkshire17£219,000
RenfrewRenfrewshire18£161,000
FalkirkStirlingshire18£158,000

The fastest property markets outside Scotland

The fastest property markets outside of Scotland are all in England, with homes taking between 25 and 30 days to find a buyer. 

1. Whitehall, South West England

  • Time to sell 25 days
  • Average asking price £350,000

Whitehall is a small neighbourhood to the east of Bristol. It boasts one of the highest average house prices on Rightmove's list.

Whitehall features original Victorian and Edwardian houses, and is home to the picturesque St. George Park.

Whitehall, Bristol
Whitehall, Bristol

2. Moston, North West England

  • Time to sell 26 days
  • Average asking price £196,000

Moston is a suburb of Manchester. Around 15,000 people live in the area, which was once a key part of Manchester’s cotton industry.

Today it has its own train station, several primary and secondary schools, and a small selection of restaurants and cafes.

3. Downend, South West England

  • Time to sell 29 days
  • Average asking price £411,000

Downend is the second suburb of Bristol to make Rightmove's list. 

It has previously been named as one of the best areas to live in the UK and most of the houses in the area are traditional Victorian terraces.  

Downend is popular with families, and has a range of independent cafés and restaurants, along with several parks and green spaces. 

The full top five

AreaRegionTime to sell (days)Asking price
WhitehallSouth West England25£349,000
MostonNorth West England26£196,000
DownendSouth West England29£411,000
HeatonNorth East England30£224,000
WhitehavenNorth West England30£164,000


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Britain's slowest property markets

At the other end of the table, properties in five areas are currently taking more than 100 days to find a buyer. 

The coastal town of Brixham in Devon has Britain's slowest property market, with homes taking nearly four months to find a buyer. 

The five slowest markets are as follows:

AreaRegionTime to sell (days)Asking price
BrixhamSouth West England118£338,000
SkegnessEast Midlands 115£198,000
SandownSouth East England109£253,000
AbergeleWales106£232,000
MineheadSouth West England103£298,000

How long do houses take to sell in London?

London has a unique property market, with house prices in some boroughs averaging more than a million pounds. 

With this in mind, Rightmove separates London from its list of fastest and slowest markets. 

Its data shows that Walthamstow is London's property hotspot, with homes finding a buyer in 32 days. 

The slowest area to sell is upmarket Knightsbridge, where it takes an average of 135 days to find a buyer.

Chelsea (108 days) and Victoria (100) have the second and third slowest markets in the English capital.

Detached houses take longest to find a buyer

On the whole, it currently takes an average of 60 days to find a buyer, three days longer than last year. The average in Scotland, however, is just 33 days.

Terraced houses find buyers most quickly, within 51 days. For detached houses, the average rises to 73 days.

The housing market has been picking up of late, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see these figures start to come down. 

Around 90,000 sales went through in August according to official data, up 5% on last year.

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What's happening to house prices and mortgage rates?

The average house price in the UK was £290,000 in July, an annual rise of 2.2%. 

After a very slow period, prices are heading upwards, with Halifax, Nationwide, the Land Registry, Rightmove and Zoopla all reporting increases month-on-month and year-on-year.

See our guide on what's happening to house prices for the latest on the property market. 

House price growth is being driven by a recent fall in the cost of borrowing, although mortgage rates still remain considerably higher than before. 

A recent drop in the base rate means that some borrowers can now get a mortgage with a rate below 4%, but those with smaller deposits are still paying significantly more. 


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