Zoopla expects the housing market to end 2025 with around 1.15 million sales completions, up 4.5% on last year, as its annual review highlights shifting buyer behaviour and a renewed appetite for rural living.
The most viewed property of the year was a three-bed detached home in Pencader, Carmarthenshire, appealing to buyers seeking off-grid potential with solar panels and land, while the second most-viewed listing was a £1.8m six-bed villa in Prestwick featuring an indoor leisure wing and private grounds.
On social media, the most popular listing was Doris’s terraced house from Gavin & Stacey, marketed for £220,000 in Barry.
Zoopla reports that January was the busiest month for website visits, reflecting the traditional Boxing Day bounce, while May was the most popular month for sellers to list.
HMRC data shows March was the peak month for completions, with 178,000 transactions above £40,000.
Buyers took an average of 38 days to agree a sale in 2025, compared with 35 days last year, with three-bed terraced homes remaining the most in-demand property type.
Falkirk was once again the fastest-moving market in the UK, averaging 13 days to sell, alongside West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire.
Sunderland led the English and Welsh markets at 23 days, followed by Bedford, Knowsley and Carlisle.
Zoopla says keyword searches reveal a shift in buyer priorities, with ‘garage’ topping the list for 2025, replacing ‘freehold’, followed by ‘annexe’, ‘double garage’, ‘acres’ and ‘pool’.
The data continues to show strong interest in additional space, multi-generational living and properties with land.
Kensington and Chelsea remained the most expensive UK local authority with an average price of £1,071,600, compared with £109,400 in Inverclyde, the least expensive.
Outside London, Elmbridge in Surrey led the market at £705,800, followed by South Buckinghamshire.
Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark, said the year had shown “a housing market that has held its nerve”.
He said: “While there are challenges that remain within the wider economy, it has been a year where the housing market has held its nerve and progressed forward.
“Many people are typically feeling a greater sense of confidence than only a year previous, and with inflation forecast to trend further downward over the coming months, we may see the Bank of England feel that much needed self confidence to further implement the downward journey for base rates.
“With the Autunm Budget also now behind us and with many people having a clearer picture of what the forthcoming months now looks like from a financial viewpoint; we hopefully should witness a positive start for the housing market as we head into early 2026.”
