New analysis from Zoopla reveals that markets with the best prospects for house price growth in 2026.
Markets across Southern England – including London – will see lower price growth as they adjust to higher mortgage rates and higher property taxes.
House prices are already posting single digit falls across southern England.
Zoopla has assessed the affordability of homes, how quickly homes they sell, discounts applied, and time on the market.
These factors have been ranked across 120 postal areas to ranking the best prospects for 2026.
Scotland leads UK rankings
Scotland has the best market conditions and markets in Scotland lead the UK rankings, with just one of the top ten coming outside the country.
Motherwell (ML) takes the top spot, with four other markets in Scotland rounding out the top nine slots, with Wigan in North West England.
These markets do not have lots of unsold stock meaning fewer asking price reductions and faster price growth.
Top ten housing markets in the UK
| UK rank | Postal area | Country/ region | Average price | House price growth %yoy | Time to sell (days) | % stock >6m old | Asking price cut >5% |
| 1 | ML – Motherwell | Scotland | £134,700 | 3.4% | 14 | 7% | 8% |
| 2 | G – Glasgow | Scotland | £163,600 | 3.0% | 14 | 6% | 4% |
| 3 | PA – Paisley | Scotland | £139,500 | 3.4% | 17 | 7% | 13% |
| 4 | FK – Falkirk | Scotland | £170,600 | 4.2% | 14 | 5% | 8% |
| 5 | KY – Kirkcaldy | Scotland | £171,400 | 4.2% | 17 | 6% | 13% |
| 6 | EH – Edinburgh | Scotland | £251,500 | 1.7% | 14 | 6% | 9% |
| 7 | KA – Kilmarnock | Scotland | £126,200 | 2.4% | 22 | 11% | 13% |
| 8 | PH – Perth | Scotland | £206,200 | 3.1% | 25 | 8% | 22% |
| 9 | IV – Inverness | Scotland | £207,100 | 3.5% | 24 | 6% | 23% |
| 10 | WN – Wigan | North West | £175,800 | 3.0% | 32 | 9% | 19% |
Source: Zoopla
Markets in Northern England see the best prospects for price growth in 2026
The English market with the best prospects for 2026 is Wigan, closely followed by Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent.
Markets in the North West take up six out of the top ten, while markets beyond the North and Midlands don’t feature.
The list comprises towns and cities where homes remain affordable or accessible to large employment centres, meaning scope for more sales and price inflation.
House prices across these areas are below the UK average and there remains a general scarcity of homes for sale.
Top ten markets in England with best prospects for 2026
| UK rank | Postal area | Country/ region | Average price | House price growth %yoy | Time to sell (days) | % stock >6m old | Asking price cut >5% |
| 10 | WN – Wigan | North West | £175,800 | 3.0% | 32 | 9% | 19% |
| 11 | L – Liverpool | North West | £177,400 | 3.5% | 33 | 7% | 24% |
| 12 | ST – Stoke-on-Trent | W Midlands | £189,800 | 2.8% | 32 | 8% | 23% |
| 13 | WV – Wolverhampton | W Midlands | £208,700 | 3.2% | 26 | 9% | 20% |
| 14 | NE – Newcastle upon Tyne | North East | £167,700 | 2.8% | 31 | 10% | 20% |
| 15 | CA – Carlisle | North West | £184,500 | 4.0% | 27 | 9% | 22% |
| 18 | NN – Northampton | E Midlands | £260,100 | 0.7% | 44 | 8% | 20% |
| 19 | OL – Oldham | North West | £184,000 | 4.4% | 37 | 10% | 22% |
| 20 | M – Manchester | North West | £224,700 | 1.9% | 30 | 9% | 25% |
| 21 | WA – Warrington | North West | £231,300 | 2.9% | 37 | 9% | 23% |
Source: Zoopla
Housing markets across Southern England and London make up the list of the areas at the bottom of the rankings across the UK.
This is largely down to affordability pressures resulting from higher house prices and the fact the market is still adjusting to higher mortgage rates.
Areas across London including West Central, West, East Central, South West and North West London sit at the bottom of the rankings.
West Central London in particular is seeing a time to sell over twice the UK average of 39 days.
Bottom ranked housing markets in England
| UK rank | Postal area | Region | Average price | House price growth %yoy | Time to sell (days) | % stock >6m old | Asking price cut >5% |
| 110 | DT – Dorchester | South West | £319,600 | -1.3% | 43 | 13% | 33% |
| 111 | CT – Canterbury | South East | £298,400 | -1.2% | 59 | 18% | 32% |
| 113 | TQ – Torquay | South West | £286,100 | -1.9% | 51 | 14% | 41% |
| 114 | BN – Brighton | South East | £367,600 | -1.1% | 36 | 15% | 29% |
| 115 | TN – Tunbridge Wells | South East | £401,400 | -0.6% | 50 | 14% | 34% |
| 116 | NW – North West London | London | £621,700 | -2.0% | 53 | 12% | 39% |
| 117 | SW – South West London | London | £706,900 | -0.8% | 50 | 15% | 36% |
| 118 | EC – East Central London | London | £682,400 | -4.5% | 67 | 14% | 47% |
| 119 | W – West London | London | £747,100 | -1.5% | 54 | 14% | 43% |
| 120 | WC – West Central London | London | £797,600 | -1.8% | 82 | 14% | 51% |
Source: Zoopla
