Revealed! The homes still on the market since 2009

Agents in some parts of the UK are still struggling to sell properties that they first listed more than a decade ago.

Upfront property pack provider Moverly has analysed property stock on Rightmove to find the homes that have been listed for the longest time across each area of the British housing market.

While many sellers have enjoyed quick sales and secured handsome prices in recent years, there are some properties that still haven’t sold since 2009.

The longest active listing in Great Britain, according to the research, has been on the market for 5,139 days. 

It is a two-bed ground floor maisonette in East London with a current asking price of £349,995. It was first put up for sale on 16 February 2009.

Similarly, a one-bed retirement flat in Havant, Hampshire has been on the market since 4 July 2009, representing 5,001 days and has a current asking price of £140,000, making it the least wanted home in the South East.

The North East’s least loved property is a two-bed terrace in Peterlee, Durham. 

Despite an asking price of just £64,950, it has been sitting on the market for 4,627 days having been originally listed on 13 July 2010. 

The oldest listing in the North West is a 1-bed flat in Bury which has been on the market for 4,328 days, while Scotland’s most unwanted home is a two-bed flat in Galashiels, on the market for 3,238 days.

The most unwanted homes in Wales and the East Midlands have both been on the market since 2016, while the oldest listings in the West Midlands, East of England, and Yorkshire & Humber have been on the market since 2017, according to the research.

The least loved home in the South West is a one-bed flat in Bristol which has been waiting for a buyer for 1,659 days.

Ed Molyneux, co-founder of Moverly, said: “It’s been long understood and just as long maligned that Britain’s homebuying process is utterly archaic and, therefore, takes far too long to complete, leaving both sellers and buyers frustrated and leading to all manner of unwanted occurrences such as broken chains and fall-throughs. 

“But in order to even start this old-fashioned transaction process, you’ve actually got to find a buyer which is something that the owners of these unwanted homes are no doubt desperate to do by now. 

“It might come as a surprise to hear that, during our nation’s much-reported housing shortage, perfectly good homes can sit on the market for more than a decade without finding a buyer, but there are any number of reasons why this might be 

“The asking prices might be too high; the property itself might be too unique or quirky, requiring an acquired taste; or perhaps they're in a state of such disrepair that nobody is willing to touch them. 

“It’s also possible that the homes have simply not been marketed in a manner that attracts the buyers that the property itself deserves. 

“Anyone who wants to avoid becoming one of the unluckiest sellers in the nation needs to make sure that their home is being marketed in the right way, at the right price, and with the right information ready for potential buyers. 

“Because, while you’re unlikely to be sat on the market for 14 years, a year or even two can easily come and go if your home is not being sold in the right way.”