Dartford is the fastest selling property hotspot in Britain, new research has revealed.
According to Rightmove, it takes just 16 days to secure a buyer in Dartford, down from 49 days in January 2015. This compares to the national average of 79 days to sell a property.
Asking prices in Dartford have shot up by 17% in the past year, while the average 16 days is nine days quicker than anywhere else in Britain.
London commuter towns dominate the rest of the top ten, with the majority seeing associated annual increases of over 10% in the price of property coming to market.
In second place is Grays in Essex at 26 days, followed by Benfleet in Essex at 28 days.
The market is also hotting up further north, with Warrington, Crewe, Middlesbrough and Bury all cutting their selling times by 30 days or more, putting them all in the top ten areas where sales have sped up most.
The biggest up and coming difference is in Clacton-on-Sea, where homes are being sold 45 days quicker than this time last year, down from 95 days to 50.
At the other end of the scale, Darlington was named the slowest selling location, where it takes an average 232 days to find a buyer. In second is St Helens at 128 days, followed by Wakefield (120 days) and Bradford (119 days).
Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst, said: “Homes in Dartford selling in just over two weeks shows just how in-demand the places within easy commuting distance to London have become over the past year. The average asking price of a property in Dartford is under £300,000, so it’s not hard to see why it’s so sought after compared to average prices being more than double that in London.
“Further out from the capital it seems that Bristol could be becoming the new Cambridge, which was the quickest place to sell a property two years ago. However, in the slower market areas it’s even more important for sellers to work with their local agent and agree a realistic asking price so they have more chance of securing a buyer to speed up their own move to their next home.”
