Buyer demand across England edged up by 0.3% in the final quarter of 2023, although it remained 6.7% below Q4 2022.

The latest Homebuyer Hotspots Demand Index by comparison site GetAgent found just one area of England saw positive movement year on year: across the City of London, buyer demand climbed by 2.4% in Q4 on an annual basis. 

Durham saw the largest annual decline in buyer demand levels (-15.7%), followed by Suffolk (-10.9%) and Cheshire (-10.7%).

GetAgent’s Hotspots Demand Index monitors homebuyer demand across England on a quarterly basis. Current demand is based on the proportion of stock listed as already sold (sold subject to contract or under offer) as a percentage of all stock listed for sale.

While overall demand only crept up by 0.3% on a quarterly basis, there are more prominent signs of growing market momentum at county level. 

Rutland saw buyer demand increase by 3.8% in Q4 when compared to the previous quarter. Both Buckinghamshire and Berkshire also showed strong signs of growth at 3.4%. 

Surrey (+2.8%), Hertfordshire (+2.5%), East Sussex (+2.4%), Bristol (+2.2%), London (+2.1%), Oxfordshire (+2.1%), Essex (+2.1%) and Bedfordshire (+1.9%) also rank within the top ten largest uplifts in buyer demand on a quarterly basis. 

Colby Short, co-founder and CEO of GetAgent, said: “Our latest index very much echoes wider industry data on market performance during the closing stages of 2023. 

“While the landscape remains largely subdued, there are green shoots of positivity starting to show and in some areas, and these shoots are growing at a far swifter rate than the national picture alludes to. 

“Although the market is yet to spring back into action when viewed on an annual basis, there’s no doubt that things are improving and this puts us in a great position as we enter the new year.”