Houses linger on the market for longer in Shropshire than almost any other part of the West Midlands, new figures have revealed.
Properties take an average of 49 days to sell in the county, according to new figures from property website Zoopla - a number matched only by Wyre Forest in the West Midlands. At the other end of the scale, homes in Newcastle-under-Lyme sold after just 27 days, the figures show.
The data, covering the year to July, shows that the national average time to sell stands at 42 days, with half of all local authority areas recording longer selling times compared to the previous year.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: "While the national time to sell has barely moved, that stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets.
"In areas like Melton in Leicestershire, homes are taking noticeably longer to sell than a year ago, while markets just a short drive away are speeding up.
"If you’re selling in a slower market, don’t take a ‘wait and see’ approach – talk to a local agent who knows what’s happening street by street, and make sure your home is priced right from day one."
The figures show a widening gap between the fastest- and slowest-selling areas.
Melton in the East Midlands tops the list of slowest markets, with homes taking an average of 76 days to sell – a 21-day increase from July 2025.
By contrast, Falkirk in Scotland is the fastest market, with properties selling in just 11 days on average.
Zoopla attributes the slower pace in many regions to higher mortgage rates, which have led to more buyers adopting a "wait and see" approach.
Many of the UK’s fastest markets are in Scotland, where homes are generally more affordable and the sales process differs from the rest of Britain.
Properties in Scotland are typically listed as "offers over" a set price and come with a valuation and home survey already completed.
The research measured the time from when a property is first listed to when an estate agent records a sale as agreed.
Some local authorities were excluded from the analysis due to small sample sizes.
In Wales, Pembrokeshire is the slowest market at 50 days, with Neath Port Talbot the fastest at 29 days.
Share