According to a study by Clifton Private Finance, Salford has been identified as the hardest city in the UK to sell properties, with over 82% of listings remaining on the market after two weeks.
The research by Clifton Private Finance analysed property data from Rightmove across the 80 largest cities in the UK to determine which locations present the greatest challenge for property sellers.
Here are the 10 hardest UK cities to sell properties (remaining after 14 days):
- Salford – 82.1% of 1,708 listings
- Wakefield – 80.9% of 635 listings
- Aberdeen – 79.9% of 422 listings
- Lincoln – 79.6% of 1,079 listings
- Preston – 79.4% of 887 listings
- Slough – 79.2% of 1,035 listings
- London – 78.9% of 52,423 listings
- Poole – 78.5% of 1,720 listings
- Exeter – 78.5% of 1,185 listings
- Manchester – 78.5% of 6,136 listings
The statistics show that 82.1% of Salford’s 1,708 property listings remained unsold after 14 days, putting it at the top of the list for difficult property markets.
Wakefield followed closely behind in second place, with 80.9% of its 635 property listings staying on the market beyond two weeks.
In third place is Aberdeen with 79.9% of its 422 listings failing to sell within a fortnight. Lincoln and Preston completed the top five hardest cities to sell properties, with 79.6% and 79.4% of their property listings respectively staying on the market for more than two weeks.
The presence of London in seventh place might surprise some. Despite being the UK’s largest property market with 52,423 listings, the capital saw 78.9% of properties staying on the market for longer than two weeks, placing it firmly among the UK’s most challenging property markets.
Poole, Exeter and Manchester rounded out the top ten hardest places to sell properties, all with 78.5% of listings remaining after 14 days. Manchester’s property market, despite being substantially larger with 6,136 listings, faced identical selling difficulties to smaller markets like Poole and Exeter.
At the other end of the scale, Glasgow emerged as the UK’s easiest city to sell properties, with only 57.2% of its 1,784 listings remaining on the market after 14 days. The Scottish city performed significantly better than any other location, with a striking 24.9 percentage point difference separating it from top-ranked Salford.
Scottish cities performed well overall, with Dundee following as the second easiest city for property sales, with 65.7% of its 265 listings staying beyond two weeks. Bristol ranked as the third easiest place to sell at 67.4%, making it the best-performing English city for property sales.
Here are the 5 easiest UK cities to sell properties (remaining after 14 days):
- Glasgow – 57.2% of 1,784 listings
- Dundee – 65.7% of 265 listings
- Bristol – 67.4% of 2,874 listings
- Basingstoke – 68.3% of 609 listings
- Reading – 68.5% of 1,317 listings
Sam Hodgson, Finance Expert at Clifton Private Finance, commented on the findings,
“These statistics reveal significant regional variations in property sales across the UK. The huge difference between Salford at 82.1% and Glasgow at 57.2% shows just how localised property markets can be.
“The data suggest Scottish cities generally perform better for sellers, with both Glasgow and Dundee appearing in the top five easiest places to sell. This may be because the Scottish property system is quicker and more secure. Once an offer is accepted, it becomes legally binding much earlier, and buyers receive key information upfront, so sales are less likely to fall through.
“For people in more challenging markets, a great way to improve the chances of a sale is to make thoughtful upgrades that add real value. Focus on improvements that help the property stand out, then highlight these clearly in your listing photos.”
