Property market sees a surge in buyer activity

Property market sees a surge in buyer activity

0:01 AM, 9th May 2025, About 2 weeks ago

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There has been a robust upswing in buyer activity across England over the past year with nearly every county witnessing more potential homeowners, research reveals.

The study by estate agency Benham and Reeves reveals the growth is down to improved market confidence and better mortgage accessibility.

The analysis, which examined property sale listings, focused on homes marked as ‘sold subject to contract’ across English counties.

It found that from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025, the volume of homes finding buyers grew at an average quarterly rate of 3.7% nationwide.

Though just two counties have bucked the trend.

Tempting homebuyers back

Marc von Grundherr, a director of Benham and Reeves, said: “Stability has been key in tempting buyers back into the fold over the last year and it’s clear that with interest rates stabilising and then falling, the resulting improvements to mortgage affordability has helped to drive the market forward.

“In fact, all but two counties have seen the number of homes securing a buyer trend upwards over the last year and, with interest rates forecast to fall again, we expect buyer activity will only continue to strengthen over the course of the year, which in turn will continue to cultivate house price growth.”

The top counties for activity

Lincolnshire topped the firm’s charts with a remarkable 6% average quarterly rise in homes securing buyers.

Cumbria followed closely, posting a 5.9% increase, while Rutland ranked third with a 5.5% uptick.

Other counties, including Cheshire (5.4%), Worcestershire (5.1%), Essex (5%), Oxfordshire (5%), East Riding of Yorkshire (4.9%), Leicestershire (4.9%) and Warwickshire (4.9%) also reported significant growth in buyer interest.

The counties seeing a fall

The two counties bucking the trend are the City of London which saw a notable decline, with buyer activity dropping by 6.2% per quarter.

Gloucestershire saw a more modest decrease of 2.9%.

Meanwhile, Greater London defied its central counterpart, recording a healthy 3.6% quarterly increase in buyer engagement.


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