Are you looking for the ideal place to move to? Whether you currently live in a busy city centre, the quiet countryside, or anywhere in between, lots of people grow up with their idea of a ‘dream location’ to spend their life.
Every year, there are certain parts of the United Kingdom that are far more searched-for than others. Naturally, major cities such as London, Brighton, Edinburgh and Cardiff attract higher numbers of potential buyers than smaller villages and towns. While rural locations have a huge amount to offer, it may take slightly longer to find lots of potential buyers in these remote areas.
If you want to get a sense of the current trends, and which towns prospective buyers have their eyes on, then our blog below will be extremely useful. We have outlined the most searched-for locations in all four countries of the UK. Keep reading for all the important data you need from 2023.
Most Searched-For Buyer Locations in England 2023
It turns out that the majority was looking for somewhere to live in Stoke-on-Trent this year, turning over a huge 18,100 monthly searches for “buy house Stoke on Trent”. In joint second place is Derby, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton – each with 14,800 monthly searches – then Gloucester, Norwich, and Worcester come in 3rd. Bradford, Chester, and Durham all find themselves in the same bracket as the country’s capital, with London having an unsurprisingly low number of searches due to the cost of living skyrocketing. And finally, Chelmsford, Chichester and Lichfield all share 5th place with 6,600 monthly searches.
Most Searched-For Buyer Locations in Scotland 2023
You may be shocked to discover that none of the major Scottish cities make it into the top five here. According to Google data, Falkirk and Stirling are joint first place for the most searched-for buyer locations in Scotland, with an average of 18,100 monthly searches for “buy house Falkirk/Stirling”. This is followed by Dunfermline, still with a whopping 14,800 searches. Bearsden, Bishopbriggs, Glenrothes, and Livingston are joint third place, all with 8,100 monthly searches, Elgin at fourth place, and Ayr sitting at fifth.
Most Searched-For Buyer Locations in Wales 2023
The searchdata shows that Newport was the most searched-for buyer location anywhere in Wales, with Wrexham in second place. The third most searched-for buyer location was Bangor, surprisingly, the fourth was Cardiff, followed by Swansea.
Most Searched-For Buyer Locations in Northern Ireland 2023
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is the most searched-for buyer location in the country. Derry is the second most popular area to search for, and Bangor is third. In fourth place is Newry, with the rest of the Irish locations turning up little to no searches.
Which cities had the most house sales in England 2023?
Over the past twelve months, the English city with the highest number of house sales is London, with approximately 60,000 transactions. In second is Birmingham, with almost one quarter the amount of house purchases, at 15,300.
The English city with the third highest number of sales is Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where there has been 12,100 house transactions in the past year. Next is Manchester, with roughly 10,500 sales, followed by Bristol with almost exactly 10,000 transactions.
Brighton is the city with the sixth largest number of sales throughout 2023, at approximately 8,900, and in seventh is Liverpool with 8,000 transactions.
Which cities had the most house sales in Scotland 2023?
According to online statistics, the city in Scotland with the highest number of property transactions is Glasgow, with 4,355 house sales completed in the past three months.
In second place is Edinburgh, where there has been 2,475 transactions made in the past three months, followed by Aberdeen in third. The city with the fourth highest number of property sales is Inverness.
Which cities had the most house sales in Wales 2023?
Throughout 2023, by far the Welsh city with the highest number of property transactions is Cardiff, with approximately 9,800 sales. In second is Swansea, with around 7,100 house purchases taking place in the city.
The location with the third highest number of house sales in Wales is the greater area of Llandudno, where 5,300 transactions took place last year. Newport is ranked fourth with 4,600 property sales in the past year.
Which cities had the most house sales in Northern Ireland 2023?
By far the city in Northern Ireland with the highest number of house transactions is Belfast. Over the past few months, there has been 1,516 sales completed in the city.
In second place is Londonderry, where 173 houses have been bought over the past quarter, followed by Ballymena, with 122 properties. Coleraine ranks as the Northern Irish city with the fourth highest number of sales, and Newry is in fifth.
Where in the country do houses sell the quickest?
You may be surprised to learn that all seven of the statistically fastest places to sell house in the UK are in Scotland. According to Rightmove data from last year, the towns with the quickest completion times are as follows:
- Falkirk, Stirlingshire
- Broxburn, West Lothian
- Renfrew, Renfrewshire
- Uddingston, Glasgow
- Clydebank, Dunbartonshire
- Larbert, Stirlingshire
- Clarkston, Glasgow
In England, the neighbourhood with the quickest sale time was recently ranked as Hall Green in Birmingham, followed by St George in Bristol.
In Wales, Hay-on-Wye ranked as the quickest place in the country to sell property in a recent survey, while in Northern Ireland, Belfast ranks as one of the fastest locations in the country, due to the huge number of people keen to live there.
Places ranked as the nicest place to live
Each year, surveys will be conducted to identify the areas in the UK with the highest levels of satisfaction amongst its residents.
According to The Sunday Times, the ten best places to live are as follows:
- Wadhurst, East Sussex
- Chichester, West Sussex
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Crouch End, London
- Donaghadee, County Down
- Dunkeld, Perthshire
- Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
- Waterloo and Toxeth, Liverpool
- Ruthin, Denbighshire
- Saffron Walden, Essex
Meanwhile, in a poll completed by Rightmove in December 2023, the happiest places to live were listed as Richmond, Winchester, Monmouth and Wokingham (in order). Once again, these lists are updated every year, and there are dozens of other places in the UK where residents are extremely happy.
Which parts of London are most popular?
In a recent calendar year, the London neighbourhoods with the highest number of house sales were Wandsworth and Barnet. Meanwhile, throughout the past decade, some of the areas with the most significant growth in property prices include Waltham Forest, Barking & Dagenham and Newham.
For those on a larger budget, the more expensive parts of London are generally considered the most desirable. Areas such as Kensington, Chelsea, Camden, Mayfair and Westminster are all extremely illustrious, and attract potential wealthy homebuyers from all over the world.
Which towns in the UK are the best value for money?
There’s no denying that some locations in the UK offer better value for money than others. According to Homeviews.com, the highest ranked towns for affordability and value include:
- Inverclyde, Scotland
- Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
- East Ayrshire, Scotland
- Hull, England
- West Dunbartonshire, Scotland
You should pay attention to housing market trends to identify the best places to invest in property, too. For example, locations such as East Lindsey, Moray and Babergh all ranked in the top five places for property price increases over the past year. Meanwhile, some of the more expensive neighbourhoods of London have experienced a decline.
If you live in a part of the UK where there are not many potential buyers, and you are therefore struggling to sell on the open market, then get in touch with We Buy Any Home today. We are cash house buyers who will take your property off your hands within 7 days, for an up-front lump sum.
