The average number of days to sell your home in the UK now stands at 205 – the first time the 200-day mark has been broken.
The longest time to sell is in inner London and the South-East at 222 days, closely followed by outer London at 221 days. The North-East is the best performing region in England and Wales at 177 days while Scotland records the shortest time at an average of 145 days.
The research was carried out by TwentyEA, the property market data specialists, on behalf of Cavendish estate agents in Cheshire and North Wales.
The 205-day average breaks down as 80 days from instructing an agent to achieving Sold Subject to Contract (SSTC) and a further 125 days from SSTC to completion. This is an increase of 10 days when comparing January to May 2025 with the same timeframe in 2024.
David Adams, managing director of Cavendish, said: “In pretty much every region of the UK, the time to sell your home has gone up with the UK average increasing from 195 days in 2024 to 205 days in 2025.
“This data demonstrates more than ever the importance of being as prepared as possible before you launch your property on to the market.
“Based on an average time of 205 days, most people hoping to give themselves a present of a new home by Christmas will probably have to think again.
“Having said that, there are lots of ways in which home sellers can put themselves in pole position to beat the national average, but they need to put the hard yards in well before listing. You need to treat selling your home like a military operation.
“Speed to market does not equal speed to sale. Far better delaying for a couple of weeks to get everything in order rather than rushing to get online within hours of you instructing your estate agent.
“Crucially, when choosing your estate agent to sell your home, make sure to ask them what their selling record is. What percentage of homes do they successfully sell, how many go for asking price or better and how long on average to sell.”
