Just one in four £2m-plus homes that reached an outcome in the third quarter of 2026 went on to sell, while just 41% of flats listed during the quarter were likely to find a buyer, according to new research from property market intelligence provider TwentyCi.
The findings, published in TwentyCi’s Property & Homemover Report – Q3 2026, highlight how sharply the likelihood and speed of a sale can vary depending on property type and price. For mortgage lenders and brokers, the figures underline the importance of looking beyond headline market trends to understand the conditions affecting individual properties and their local markets.
The report found that just 25% of £2m-plus homes reaching an outcome in Q3 sold, compared with 53.1% of properties priced below £2m. High-value properties also took more than twice as long to find a buyer, with a median time to sale of 86 days, against 41 days for the wider market below £2m.
Flats are also facing increasing challenges. Nationally, just 41.2% were likely to sell in 2026, down from 44.2% in 2025 and 54.2% in 2022. The picture was particularly challenging in London, where only 27.2% of flats in Inner London and 30.7% in Outer London were likely to sell.
The findings suggest that national averages can mask very different market conditions across the housing sector. While a property may hold a particular valuation, the time it takes to find a buyer and the price ultimately achieved can vary significantly according to its type, location and price bracket.
For lenders, these differences can be relevant when assessing the liquidity of property used as mortgage security, understanding potential recovery times and managing exposure to particular property types or local markets. The findings do not mean that flats or high-value homes are inherently unsuitable as security, but they highlight the value of considering current market conditions alongside traditional valuation measures.
Colin Bradshaw, CEO of TwentyCi, said: “The housing market cannot be understood through headline transaction volumes or average property prices alone. Our latest research highlights how sharply the likelihood and speed of a sale can vary, with flats facing increasing challenges and properties at the top end of the market taking considerably longer to find buyers.
“For mortgage lenders, this reinforces the importance of understanding the dynamics of the individual property and its local market when assessing security. A valuation provides an essential benchmark, but insight into current supply, demand and selling times can add another valuable dimension to understanding the risks associated with a property.”
The report also found that £2m-plus homes that sold achieved 90.5% of their initial asking price, compared with 96.3% for properties below £2m. TwentyCi cautions that the high-value figure is based on 27 completions in the quarter and should be treated as an early indication rather than a definitive market-wide trend.
The findings form part of TwentyCi’s quarterly Property & Homemover Report, which analyses the UK residential property market using factual property change data covering 99.6% of sale and rental property transactions.
Download the full report here.
