A town in Greater Manchester has been named amongst the UK’s top 10 sales hotspots, according to the latest data from Rightmove. The property portal has looked at house price changes, buyer demand and sales agreed on a national scale, and found that homes are flying off the market in one part of our region.
Across the UK, the number of sales being agreed is currently 13 percent higher than during the same period in 2023, which is positive news for the property market. In some areas, Rightmove is seeing a much higher percentage of homes selling than the average.
The top sales hotspot is Chard in Somerset, which has an average house price that is considerably less than the south west’s regional average of £245,202. Rightmove says this suggests that some home-buyers are looking to more affordable areas against a backdrop of record-high mortgage rates, and the continuing cost-of-living crisis.
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Royton, a mill town in Oldham, is amongst the areas seeing a lot of buyer activity at the moment, with house sales rising by a whopping 96 percent in comparison to this time last year.
House hunters are flocking to the area to find good value homes, with its average house price of £227,442, which is less than Greater Manchester’s average of £253,716.
The majority of sales in Royton during the last year were semi-detached properties, selling for an average price of £228,529. Terraced properties sold for an average of £159,925, with detached properties fetching £343,331.
There are some bargains on the market in Royton at the moment, such as this modern two-bed terraced house accepting offers in region of £160,000. Spacious following an extension and beautifully presented, it would be ideal for a first-time buyer.
It has a lounge, dining room, newly fitted kitchen, and a handy play room which is currently used as a home office, two good sized bedrooms, and lovely modern bathroom.
Also up for sale in the town is a new-build home in the sought-after The Fairways development with a price tag of £265,000. The three-bed semi-detached house would make the perfect family home with its spacious layout spread across three floors.
On the ground floor it has a kitchen and open-plan living and dining room with French doors leading out to a southern-facing garden. Upstairs on the first floor are two generously sized bedrooms and main bathroom, while the top floor has a master bedroom with its own en-suite bathroom.
Mortgage rates are now lower now than they were during the peak of July 2023, and Rightmove says it is now seeing home-movers who put off a move in 2023 coming to market in 2024, with detached homes proving to be the most popular purchase.
“While some larger-home sellers may have built up more equity over time, others looking to take out a larger mortgage on a more expensive home would have been particularly impacted last year,” says Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister.
“Rates have come down from their peak whilst prices have remained stable, and we have a group of larger home sellers who are seizing the opportunity to come to market. The increased choice is being met with more demand, resulting in higher numbers of sales”, Tim adds.
Here are the top 10 sales hotspots in the UK:
| Area | Increase in number of agreed sales vs 2023 | Average asking price |
| Chard, Somerset | 123% | £245,202 |
| Hilton, Derbyshire | 112% | £287,201 |
| Padgate, Cheshire | 112% | £228,518 |
| Caerphilly | 104% | £248,696 |
| Keynsham, Bristol | 97% | £377,392 |
| Royton, Greater Manchester | 96% | £227,442 |
| Cramlington, Northumberland | 94% | £194,352 |
| Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire | 94% | £1,034,264 |
| Armthorpe, South Yorkshire | 93% | £185,613 |
| Seaham, County Durham | 92% | £158,645 |