Thorntons Property recorded an 8% rise in sales in 2025, buoyed by continued business expansion and strengthening market conditions across Scotland.
The estate agency, part of independent Scottish law firm Thorntons, sold 1,341 properties during the year, up from 1,240 in 2024. While the increase reflects broader growth in UK property transactions, it also highlights the firm’s expanding footprint, including the launch of its first Inverness-based sales team in April as part of its ambition to deliver a Scotland-wide, end-to-end residential property service.
Thorntons Property now operates across 11 locations, including Edinburgh, Dundee, Angus, Fife and Perth, and currently has just over 330 properties for sale across its network.
Peter Ryder, managing director, Thorntons Property, said: “At Thorntons, we experienced an exceptionally successful year in 2025, selling over 1,300 properties [across Scotland] valued at more than £300m. This achievement has solidified our position as one of the top estate agents in the country.
“We take pride in offering a diverse range of properties, from first-time buyer flats to million-pound homes, with the added advantage of providing both legal and estate agency services under one roof. We were also thrilled to expand our reach by opening an estate agency in Inverness in April 2025, marking an important step toward our ambition to have a presence across the whole of Scotland.”
Commenting on wider trends identified by Thorntons Property, which employs a team of more than 60 professionals throughout Scotland, Ryder said the number of clients seeking bungalows has doubled over the past 12 months, with many such properties going to a closing date. He attributed this demand to an ageing population looking for more accessible, single-storey homes.
He also highlighted increased first-time buyer activity. Research shows that first-time buyers now account for almost two-fifths of UK property sales, up from 28% a decade ago.
Ryder added: “We expect a steady increase in housing stock and a healthy demand for homes to help maintain property prices in Scotland, with a projected price uplift of around 3% to 4% in 2026.
“The market is already showing signs of improvement with more competitive two- and five-year mortgage options becoming available, along with better mortgage affordability. Coupled with decreasing inflation, this creates a positive economic environment that is likely to foster a ‘feel-good’ factor for buyers next year, encouraging them to enter the property market.
“Interestingly, first-time buyers now constitute the largest group of purchasers, accounting for nearly 40% of all transactions, demonstrating that the ambition to own property remains strong. In Scotland, first-time buyers are also benefiting from slightly lower property prices in some areas. This has contributed to a slightly younger first-time buyer in Scotland.”
