Under offer! Agents securing buyers two weeks faster than last year – claim

Agents have managed to secure a buyer two weeks faster for their vendors so far this year compared with in 2021, new analysis claims.

Research by agency comparison website GetAgent found that firms are getting offers accepted within an average of 84.7 days from listing so far this year.

That is 14.7 days quicker than in 2021 when it took an average of 99.4 days.

When it comes to the best agent performance, agents in the LA21 Lake District postcode are taking an average of 22 days to secure a buyer so far in 2022, the quickest across England and Wales.

Birmingham’s B4 postcode is taking an average of 33.4 days to find a buyer, with Greater Manchester’s M31 postcode ranking third at an average of 37.1 days. 

However, when it comes to the biggest reduction in the time taken to find a buyer in 2022, it’s the LL35 postcode at the tip of the Snowdonia National Park that comes out on top. 

In 2021, it took agents in the LL35 postcode an average of 306.8 days to secure a buyer. So far in 2022, this has dropped to 95.3 days, a reduction of 211.5 days.

Mal McCallion, chief operating officer for GetAgent, said: “Hats off to the nation’s estate agents, who have not only worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic property market boom, but in the vast majority of postcodes they’ve managed to secure a buyer at a quicker pace in 2022 when compared to last year. 

“It will be interesting to see just where we land come the end of the year, as the landscape has certainly become trickier over the past few weeks. Last week’s hike to interest rates will undoubtedly drive a slowing of pace for the nation’s homebuyers, enabling the best estate agents to really show their quality.

“While we may see demand levels cool somewhat, there should remain adequate homebuyer interest for those agents who can perform at the very top of the local markets. Those working hardest will continue to attract the nation’s focused buyers and sellers.”