Buying a House Statistics: How Do UK Adults Buy Properties in 2025?

The UK’s most popular property portals of 2025

With so many options to choose from when buying a house, property portals provide a quick and easy way of finding home that meets your requirements. But which is most favoured by UK adults in 2025? To find out, in June 2025, we analysed online search volumes for the names of some of the UK’s leading property portals using the tool Ahrefs. Our analysis found:

• Rightmove is by far the UK’s most popular property portal of 2025 with over 5.7 million searches being made for the term ‘right move’ each month.
• Zoopla is the second most popular portal with over 1.1 million searches per month.
• On the Market is searched for 204,000 times per month in the UK. Followed by Scotland’s ESPC which receives an average of 73,000 searches per month.

Which new build developers are in highest demand in 2025?

But how about those who are looking for a new build property. Which new build developers are searched for most online each month in the UK? Our analysis found:

• More online searches are made each month for Taylor Wimpey than any other new build developer (34,000).
• Persimmon Homes follows in second place with an average of 17,000 searches per month.
• David Wilson Homes (owned by Barratt Redrow plc) and Bloor Homes are the third most popular new build developer in the UK, averaging 11,000 searches per month each.
• Also amongst the top 10 are Redrow, Avant Homes, Barratt Homes, Cala Homes, Linden Homes and Bellway Homes.

When requesting to view a house, which enquiry methods do UK adults prefer?

In an age where most of us prefer to make our purchases online rather than in person, you might expect digital channels to dominate when it comes to the property industry. However, our survey of 2001 UK adults found that when it comes to enquiring about buying a house or booking a viewing, over the phone and face to face interactions are still very much preferred. We asked:

When enquiring about or requesting to view a home, how would you interact with the seller (developer, estate agent or individual)?

• The most common method for UK adults when enquiring about or requesting to view a new property is a phone call, opted for by 42%.
• More than a third (35%), prefer to communicate face to face when making property inquiries or viewing requests.
• Email is also a popular choice, with 31% of UK adults opting it for property-related communication.
• Text messages are preferred by 10% of UK adults for these types of property interactions.
• While text messages and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, or other chat functions are favoured by just 10% of UK adults.
• Finally, live chat is the least frequently used method when enquiring about or requesting to view a new property, with just 9% saying they’d use this function.

Methodology: In November 2024 we pulled a demographically representative sample of 2001 UK adults using the market research company, Censuswide. Respondents were instructed to tick all the apply, hence the totals adding up to more than 100%.

How do our home buying communication preferences vary by gender?

When enquiring about a property or booking to view one, are there any significant differences in the ways men and women prefer to communicate with the seller, estate agent or developer? In short – yes. Our survey found:

• Women are far more likely to enquire about new properties over the phone than men (44% vs 39%).
• While men are more likely to opt for face-to-face interactions, such as going into the office to arrange a viewing or ask for further information (38% vs 33%).
• Email communication is preferred amongst female prospective homebuyers (33% vs 28%).
• However, text, social media and live chats are more popular among men who enquire about a new property.

Preferred property enquiry methods by age

Understanding how different generations prefer to communicate is not just a matter of convenience; it’s a critical strategic insight for anyone involved in the property industry. As the journey to homeownership evolves, so do the preferred touchpoints for prospective buyers. So how do these differ depending on our age?

• The older we are, the more likely we are to pick up the phone to enquire about a house, with less than a third of those aged 16-24 saying they’d do so, increasing to nearly half of those aged 55 and over.
• Face-to-face enquiries are most popular amongst 25-34 year-olds (40%). With the average age of a first-time buyer in the UK being 32, it’s perhaps unsurprising that this age group would seek in-person guidance and support.
• Email communication on the other hand, is most favoured among 35-44 year-olds, with 37% saying they’d use this method, making email more popular than face-to-face enquiries within this age group.
• Despite it being one of the least popular methods overall, almost 1 in 5 16-24 year-olds (19%) say they’d enquire about a property or book a viewing via social media.

Prospective homebuyer communication preferences by location

It’s clear that factors such as gender and age play a role in determining our communication preferences when enquiring about a new property. But do our preferred methods differ depending on which part of the UK we’re from? Our findings revealed:

• Phone Call Dominance in the North and Scotland: The North East (41.25%), Northern Ireland (40.96%), and especially Scotland (48.01%) show a very strong preference for phone calls when it comes to property enquiries.
• Face-to-Face is most popular in the South West and East Midlands: The South West (39.77%) and East Midlands (40.41%) have notably higher preferences for face-to-face interactions.
• Email’s Higher Traction is in the North West and South East: The North West (39.76%) and South East (34.50%) have the highest preferences for email communication when it comes to property enquiries.
• Digital Channels are a Go-To for Londoners: Text message communications with sellers, developers or letting agents are most popular in Greater London (15.00%), as are social media messages (15.77%) and Live Chats (15.77%).

How many people bought a house in the UK in 2025?

Understanding exactly how many homes change hands each year is an integral part of determining the health of UK’s property market in 2025. The government’s Residential Property Transaction figures show all purchases with a value of £40,000 or more, made for properties in the UK over the last 20 years.

How have homebuying rates changed in the UK overtime?

The same dataset revealed:

• From the year ending April 2024 to the year ending April 2025, the UK saw a +19.3% increase in residential transactions.
• The year with the highest number of residential transactions in the last 20 years was 2006-2007, when 1.7 million purchases were made.
• While 2008-2009 saw the lowest rates, with just 796,060 transactions were made for residential properties in the UK.

* Figures for 2025 are based on provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimates.

House purchases in England, Scotland & Wales in 2025

How do home buying rates differ between different parts of the United Kingdom? Our analysis found:

• The majority of UK home purchases from 2024 to 2025 were made in England, with over a million (1,034,900) transactions taking place, increasing from just 840,030 the year before.
• This is followed by Scotland, where 101,750 residential transactions were made, up from 93,130 the year prior.
• Wales had the next highest rate in the year ending April 2025, with 50,110 property transactions, increasing from 44,020 in the previous financial year.
• Northern Ireland also saw an increase in residential transactions between 2023-24 and 2024-25 (from 23,470 to 27,370).

How many people are planning on buying a house in the next year (2025-2026)?

So now we know how many properties were purchased in the UK over the last 20 years, but how many people are planning on buying a house in the near future? To find out, we analysed data from TGI’s July 2025 survey data, which polled a representative sample of 24,233 UK adults between June 2024 and May 2025. The research revealed:

• 1.23 million UK adults expect to buy a new home in the next 12 months; that’s 2.28% of the adult population.
• 670,000 of these will be first time buyers planning to take their first step onto the property ladder.
• While 562,000 will be second steppers, planning to purchase their second or next property.

Homebuying by gender: Do more men or women plan to buy a property in the UK?

Who’s most likely to buy a property in the next year? Men or women? The July 2025 TGI data revealed that:

• Far more women than men expect to buy a home in the UK in the next year.
• 60% of women, and just 40% of men plan on purchasing a property in the next 12 months.

What age are the UK’s prospective First Time Buyers in 2025?

The TGI survey also discovered the age groups of those planning to buy their first ever properties in the next 12 months. The data found:

• Nearly a third (32.5%) of First Time Buyers expecting to buy a property in the next year are aged between 25 and 34 – a higher percentage than any other age group.
• This is followed by 18-24 year-olds (28.5%) and 35-44 year-olds (23.5%).
• Interestingly, just over 1 in 10 (11.3%) of those that plan on buying their first ever property in the next year are 45-64 year-olds.

Homebuyer appetite by British region:

Where will be the property buying hotspots of the UK in 2025 and 2026? The TGI survey reveals that excluding First Time Buyers:

• The majority of people expecting to buy a property in the next 12 months are Londoners, with 17.7% having plans to do so.
• This is followed closely by those in the South East (17.1%), and the West Midlands (11.5%).
• People in the East of England are the fourth most likely to buy a home in the next year (10.4%), followed by the North West (8.9%) and Scotland (7.7%).

Note: It’s important to note that the regions mentioned in this section refer to where the individuals surveyed are from, not where they plan on buying a property.

Homebuyer Statistics: UK 2025

We hope you’ve enjoyed this roundup of the most recent facts, figures and statistics on buying a house in the UK. For more property-related data, head over to our Property Sector Insights whitepaper, which includes media and market trends, alongside predictions for 2025 and beyond.

If you’re interested in working with us or would like to find out more about the work we do for our property clients at Space & Time, get in touch and a member of the team will be more than happy to help.