Homeowners stay nine years on average before selling

Homeowners who sold their home in the last 18 months, spent an average of nine years in their previous home, according to Zoopla.

The property portal shows two peaks in seller activity over the last eighteen months, with a third (33%) of sales taking place after homeowners have been in their homes for three to seven years.

A variety of factors including mortgage rates have influenced homeowners to move during the last year.

Two cohorts of sellers have dominated the market

Izabella Lubowiecka, senior property researcher at Zoopla, said: “Two cohorts of sellers have dominated the market over the last 18 months – those who bought just before the Global Financial Crisis in 2007 and those who bought just before or during the pandemic. Their decisions to move have been influenced not just by personal needs, but also equity gains, affordability and buying costs.

“As the market continues to settle in 2025, those considering selling should get in touch with local agents to understand the value of their current home, what demand for a home like theirs looks like and what they can afford to buy.”

According to Zoopla, homeowners in more affordable regions of the UK, such as Scotland and the North East — where average home prices are £166,500 and £146,000 respectively — are more likely to move sooner.

In these areas, over a quarter (28%) of homeowners sell their property within five years of purchase.

Londoners stayed the longest in their homes

Londoners who sold in the last 18 months stayed in their home for the longest compared to other UK regions, an average of ten years.

Zoopla says this is likely due to higher house prices and moving costs. Stamp duty rates in the capital are their highest than anywhere else in the country with the average amount paid £14,2302.

This includes homeowners in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the borough of Westminster where recent homeowners spent 13 years and 12 years in their homes respectively.

Elsewhere in England, homeowners in rural areas (small towns and villages) such as Mid Devon, Harborough and Swale sell after the shortest amount of time, eight years on average.

In Scotland however, those living in the main cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as larger towns in southern parts of Scotland move most often, also on average every seven years.

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