With the property market set to finish the year with 1.1m sales completions (10% higher than 2023), Zoopla has revealed key user trends and buyer behaviour over the past 12 months. 

The most expensive property sold on Zoopla 2024 was located in Beverly Hills, California and was listed on Zoopla for a whopping £67,615,715. The property, which wouldn’t look out of place in the Netflix smash hit series ‘Selling Sunset’ benefits from an infinity pool, 15 bathrooms and expansive views overlooking Los Angeles. 

In the UK, the most expensive property sold was a Grosvenor Crescent, London listed on Zoopla for £65,000,000. Located in one of the country’s most prestigious addresses, the property features six en-suite bedrooms, a chef’s kitchen and spa.

Which months saw the most housing market interest and activity?

When it came to browsing, January was the most popular month for visitors to the Zoopla website, followed by March and February. This aligns with the ‘Boxing Day Bounce’ on the 26th of December and the new year which traditionally drives an increase in property searches as people start looking for a new home at the beginning of the year.

2024 also saw an increase in the popularity of floorplans on Zoopla listings, with 80 per cent of buyers heading to the floorplan of a property before the photos. 

May was the most popular month to list a home for sale on Zoopla, with summer the most popular time of year for house viewings and moves, while according to HMRC, August was the busiest month of the year for completions with 104,740 property transactions completed in the UK with a value of £40,000 or more. 

Scottish areas have the speediest time to sell in 2024

The average time to sell in 2024 was 33 days, down from 34 days in 2023, with three-bed semi-detached properties the most popular property type. 

Falkirk takes the crown as the fastest-moving property market in the UK, with a time to sell of just 15 days, followed by Glasgow City (16 days) and West Lothian (17 days). All of the top five fastest-moving markets are located in Scotland, where properties are listed with a valuation and survey upfront, driving speedier agreements on sales. 

Liverpool was the fastest-moving market in England and Wales with a time to sell of 19 days, followed by Manchester (23 days) and the London borough of Waltham Forest (25 days). 

Fastest moving markets (UK-wide)

Source: Zoopla

Fastest moving markets In England and Wales

Source: Zoopla

Trending keywords on Zoopla in 2024, ‘freehold’ takes the crown for the second year running

When looking at on-site searches, ‘freehold’ takes the top spot for keyword searches on Zoopla.co.uk for the second year in a row, with ‘cottage’ and ‘double garage’ new entries to the top five. 

Top keyword searches in 2023 and 2024

Source: Zoopla

Meanwhile, new entries into the top 100 most searched-for keywords in 2024 include ‘in need of modernisation’ which moved up a huge 134 places to 53rd place, and study, which moved up 22 places and now ranks in 88th place. 

To make it easier for visitors to the portal to find properties that suit their needs, Zoopla also rolled out 16 new filters in 2024. The filters, which are enhanced by AI, allow Zoopla users to filter by feature including the number of bathrooms and bedrooms. 

The house price winners and losers

When it comes to the most expensive and cheapest local authorities to purchase a home, the borough of Kensington and Chelsea retains the crown as the most expensive local authority in the UK in 2024 with an average house price of £1,132,100, some 10 times more expensive than the cheapest local authority of Inverclyde, which has an average house price of £105,800. 

Most expensive  and cheapest local authorities to purchase a home in 2024

Source: Zoopla

Moving to the rental market, local authorities in London again dominate the most expensive list with the borough of Kensington and Chelsea the UK’s most expensive place to rent a home with an average rent of £3,518 pcm, almost triple the UK average of £1,270. 

Hartlepool in County Durham was the cheapest place to rent a property in 2024 with an average rent of £564 pcm. This was followed by the Scottish local authorities of Dumfries and Galloway (£571 pcm) and East Ayrshire (£579 pcm). 

Most expensive and cheapest local authorities to rent a home in 2024

Source: Zoopla

From Shetland to Cornwall: Britain’s most northern and southern property sales

The property sold the furthest north in the UK in 2024 was a two-bed property on the island of Unst, Britain’s most northerly inhabited island and part of the Shetland Islands. Listed for £105,000, the property benefits from an acre plot of land, and is also located near Unst’s only school. 

At the opposite end of the country, a three bed property on the Lizard, Cornwall, listed for £455,000, was the most southerly property sold on Zoopla in 2024. Lizard provides easy access to spectacular coastal walks along dramatic cliffs and beautiful beaches. 

What’s next for the housing market in 2025?

Zoopla expects the current momentum in sales to continue into 2025 and predicts an uptick in sales completions from 1.1m in 2024 to 1.5m in 2025. This will be driven by improvements in affordability and growth in incomes which will encourage more home moves. 

First-time buyers will remain the largest buyer group supporting housing chains and unlocking moves for existing homeowners. When it comes to house price growth, Zoopla predicts a 2.5 per cent increase in 2025.