New data from Zoopla has revealed the housing markets with the greatest prospects for house growth in 2026.
Zoopla assessed a range of key housing market indicators, including:
- The affordability of homes
- How quickly homes are selling
- How much asking prices are being cut to attract demand
- How many homes have been on the market for more than six months
These factors have been collated and ranked across 120 postal areas of the UK to create an overall ranking of the areas with the best prospects for 2026.
Areas across Scotland and Northern England have the best prospects for house price growth this year, with Southern England set to see lower price growth due to things like higher mortgage rates and higher property taxes.
Among the worst for growth was Brighton, in East Sussex.
What are England’s worst housing markets?
Housing markets across Southern England and London make up the list of the areas at the bottom of Zoopla’s rankings.
Brighton was ranked seventh-worst in England, ranking 114th overall.
The average house price in Brighton is £367,600, with house price growth down 1.1% year-on-year.
Houses in Brighton took an average of 36 days to sell, according to the Zoopla data, adding that homes have been on the market for more than six months.
Meanwhile, 29% of homes cut their asking prices by more than 5% to attract demand.
Zoopla said Southern England and London being among the worst is “largely down to affordability pressures resulting from higher house prices and the fact the market is still adjusting to higher mortgage rates”.
It added: “These markets have also seen a greater increase in homes for sale, boosting buyer choice, and with higher stamp duty costs since April 2025.
“This explains the modest decline in average prices over the last year.”
On South England specifically, Zoopla said that house prices are “already posting small falls due to lots of supply and uncertainty over taxes and the autumn Budget”.
It continued: “Speculation over a new annual tax on homes over £500,000 hit activity across much of the south of England and this risk has now been lifted.
“We expect more activity in 2026 but house price growth is set to remain low between 0% and 1% in 2026 as the affordability of housing continues to reset. ”
What are England’s best housing markets?
Several places in Scotland lead the UK rankings for the best housing market areas, with just one of the top ten coming outside the country.
The Motherwell (ML) postal area was top, with Glasgow, Paisley, Falkirk, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, Perth, and Inverness following.
Wigan in North West England was the only spot in the top ten coming outside the country.
Zoopla explained that these markets do not have lots of unsold stock, meaning fewer asking price reductions and faster price growth.
Outside of Scotland and just behind Wigan, among England’s best housing markets are Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolves, Newcastle, and Carlisle.
Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla, said: “Whether you’re buying or selling, local housing market conditions matter more than ever when making housing decisions in 2026.
“Basing decisions on the value of a home, affordability, demand and selling times in the local area will help sellers and buyers move with greater confidence.
“Our analysis highlights the areas with the strongest potential for continued growth in sales activity and above-average house price rises in 2026.
“While prospects are strongest in Scotland and Northern England, opportunities exist across the UK where demand and affordability remain well aligned.
“Price growth is expected to be slower in lower-ranked markets, particularly across parts of Southern England and London, although improving affordability means the outlook in London is more positive than in recent years.
“The characteristics of individual homes matters too and how much demand there exists locally for different types of homes which might perform better than the local market.
“It is important for serious sellers, speaking to local agents to get tailored insight into local conditions and how to price and market their home for a successful sale in 2026.”
Source link
[Featured]
[Just In]
