The pattern was also seen beyond the capital. Dartford rose to 37 days, Peterborough to 48 days and Slough to 46 days.
Zoopla said four in five first-time buyers in London pay stamp duty equal to about 3% of the purchase price. Outside London, fewer than one in 10 first-time buyers in England pay the tax, and usually at a lower cost.
The data also pointed to a continuing North-South split. Scotland remained the fastest-moving market, with homes taking an average of 15 days to sell, unchanged from a year earlier. Northern English regions were close to last year’s pace, supported by fewer homes for sale and firmer price growth.
“Homes are taking just one day longer to sell than this time last year,” said Richard Donnell (pictured right), executive director at Zoopla. “That is a strong result given increased uncertainty and mortgage rates rising sharply in March.
“Buyer enquiries have rebounded after Easter and with mortgage rates starting to fall, we expect the market to remain active through the rest of the year. Households who need to move are getting on with it though market conditions vary widely between North and South.