Half of homes across Great Britain are taking longer to sell than a year ago as uncertainty over mortgage costs makes buyers more cautious, according to Zoopla.
The property portal found selling times had increased year-on-year in 180 of 363 local authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales amid mortgage market volatility linked to the Iran war.
Despite the slowdown across half of local markets, the national average time to sell remained unchanged at 42 days.
Zoopla said the headline figure masked a widening regional divide, with buyers moving quickly in some property hotspots while others were waiting to see whether better mortgage deals became available.
Scotland dominated the fastest-moving markets, accounting for all ten of the local authorities with the shortest selling times.
Falkirk was the fastest market, with homes taking an average of just 11 days to sell.
In England, Carlisle and Barnsley were the quickest markets, with an average selling time of 23 days in both areas.
At the other end of the market, eight local authorities recorded average selling times of two months or more.
Melton in the East Midlands had the longest average at 76 days, with Westminster in London and Teignbridge in the South West also among the slowest markets.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “While the national time to sell has barely moved, that stability is masking a real divide opening up between local markets.
“In areas like Melton in Leicestershire, homes are taking noticeably longer to sell than a year ago, while markets just a short drive away are speeding up.”
