Detached home owners making average £122,500 profit when selling

Homeowners selling detached properties in England and Wales have secured an average gross profit of £72,000 compared with what they paid for the property, according to analysis by Zoopla.

The data from the property site revealed that sellers across the UK in the past 18 months have enjoyed an overall 38% gain compared to the price at which they originally purchased their property. Homeowners typically stayed in their properties for an average of nine years before selling.

Sellers in Scotland made an average gross profit of £ 37,200, equating to a 24% increase, Zoopla found. On average, they spent six years in their home before selling up.

Detached properties, in particular, saw the most significant profits, with the average seller netting £122,500, some 70% higher than the national average. Semi-detached homes followed closely behind with average gains of £80,000, a 44% increase, while terraced properties generated £64,250 (40%).

In contrast, flat sellers saw a much smaller increase in value, with an average gain of just £27,000, or 15%. This disparity is linked to shifting buyer preferences, as high mortgage costs and a desire for more space have pushed demand away from flats toward houses with more room for families.

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Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “British homeowners are sitting on sizeable capital gains from years of historic house price inflation which varies widely by geography and property type.

“The scale of gains from historic price inflation is unlikely to be repeated in future with lower levels of annual price inflation in more recent years than in the past.

“Estate agents currently have the highest stock of homes for sale in over seven years. This is boosting choice for buyers, meaning it is very important that sellers are realistic over how they set their asking price.

“Homes that attract limited interest and require a price reduction can take twice as long to sell.”

The most significant gains were seen in London and the South East. Sellers in London realised an average capital gain of £130,000 (35% of the original purchase price), while those in the South East saw £94,000 on average. In contrast, regions like the North East reported far smaller gains, averaging just £35,000, some 26% of the original purchase price.

While the sums are smaller in some areas, the percentage gains in places like Wales, the North West, and the Midlands were significant, ranging from 41% to 45%. For instance, homeowners in Wales gained an average of £65,000, which, while lower in absolute terms, represented a hefty return on their more affordable initial investment.

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To put this into perspective, the £130,000 gained by the average London seller is enough to purchase an average home outright in 11 local authorities in Northern England, showcasing the stark contrast between property markets in the capital and the North.

The analysis also uncovered a "tenure trap", a lingering effect of the 2008 global financial crash, which has left some long-term homeowners at a disadvantage. For sellers in most parts of the UK, those who had owned their property for 15 to 20 years made £30,000 less on average than those who sold after a tenure of 10 to 15 years.

In Northern England, the difference is particularly striking. Homeowners who sold after 15-20 years made just £45,000, compared to £75,000 for those who sold after 10-15 years. This gap is due to the slower house price recovery in northern regions following the financial crisis.

Despite the challenges posed by the 2008 global crisis, homeowners who held on to their properties for more than 20 years have generally enjoyed the largest gains. Those in London, for example, saw an average gain of £361,500, the highest recorded in the UK. Similarly, sellers who had owned their homes for 20 to 25 years outside the capital also reaped considerable profits, with gains of £225,000 in Southern England and £121,000 in Northern England.

The analysis involved examining Land Registry data covering England and Wales, as well as Registers of Scotland figures, which encompassed homes sold between March 2024 and September 2025. The analysis only included homeowners who had sold within 25 years of purchasing.

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