June 25, 2025
How long will it take to sell my home in Wales?
The average number of days to sell your home in Wales now stands at 211 – the first time the 200-day mark has been broken.
This typically includes 92 days from instructing an estate agent to Sold Subject to Contract (SSTC) and a further 119 days from SSTC to completion.
A year ago, the average was 199 days consisting of 86 days from instructing to SSTC and 113 days from SSTC to completion.
The longest time to sell a home in the UK is in inner London and the South-East at 222 days, closely followed by outer London at 221 days. The North-East is the best performing region in England and Wales at 177 days while Scotland records the shortest time at an average of 145 days.
The research was carried out by TwentyEA, the property market data experts, on behalf of Cavendish, a leading estate and lettings agent in North Wales and Cheshire with offices in Ruthin, Mold and Chester.
The data compares the period January-May 2025 with the same timeframe in 2024.
David Adams, Managing Director of Cavendish, said: “The jump in the average time to sell a home in Wales is in line with pretty much every other part of the UK.
“This data demonstrates more than ever the importance of being as prepared as possible before you launch your property on to the market.
“Based on an average time of 211 days, most people in Wales hoping to give themselves a present of a new home by Christmas will probably have to think again.
“Having said that, there are lots of ways in which home sellers can put themselves in pole position to beat the national average, but they need to put the hard yards in well before listing. You need to treat selling your home like a military operation.
“Speed to market does not equal speed to sale. Far better delaying for a couple of weeks to get everything in order rather than rushing to get online within hours of you instructing your estate agent.
“Crucially, when choosing your estate agent to sell your home, make sure to ask them what their selling record is. What percentage of homes do they successfully sell, how many go for asking price or better and how long on average to sell.”
Cavendish’s top tips for giving yourself the best shot at selling before the end of 2025 include:
- Get your asking price right at the outset – price logically not emotionally. Properties that reduce their asking price are 20% less likely to sell than those that do not and take 3 times longer to sell. Also don’t treat your home like a bag of sweets – e.g. better to price it at £500,000 than £499,950. Buyers with a budget above £500,000 will typically search for properties at or above this price point. Properties priced at the correct price point get 11% more detailed views.
- Ensure your photos have the wow factor and say yes to a video or virtual tour. Properties with video or a tour receive 6% more enquiries than those without.
- Tell your story – property descriptions including personal stories about living in your home or your favourite room pack a greater punch than just the basic property details.
- Get legally ready – don’t wait until you have an offer; instead have your solicitor lined up, a digital box file of all the key documents and fill out your Fixtures & Fittings paperwork in advance. Get your EPC certificate sorted.
- Avoid bad odours – make sure your house smells fresh and airy to avoid getting off on the wrong foot with viewings.
- Check out your estate agent – only 52.7% of properties will actually sell so picking the right agent could make all the difference. Do they have a dedicated in-house sales progression team which can speed up the process?
- Don’t rush to market – far better to take a couple of weeks touching up paint chippings, tidying the garage, mowing the lawn and weeding the patio. First impressions really do count!
- Stage your home – homes that are staged typically sell for 8% more than those that aren’t. This could be as simple as putting flowers and house plants around your home and having fresh towels and hand wash in the bathrooms, while some go further and commission professional home stagers who bring furniture, artwork and other props with them.
- Consider your own purchase – how clean is the chain and how liable is it to collapse?
At a Glance: Region by Region: How long will it take to sell my home?
NI = New Instruction
SSTC = Sold Subject to Contract
Completion = When the sale of your property completes
The table below shows completion timescales in terms of number of days for the period January-May 2024 compared with January-May 2025. Columns 1 & 2 show the average number of days from NI to SSTC, and columns 3 & 4 from SSTC to Completion. The final two columns show the total time in days from instruction to completion.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- For an interview with David Adams or more information, please contact Mason Media:
Nick Mason – nick@masonmedia.co.uk / 07903 237008.
Lucy Mason – lucy@masonmedia.co.uk / 07903 197402.
