Homes under £150,000 still available across Britain, but hotspots cluster in the North East and Scotland

A noticeable minority of homes for sale in Britain remain priced at £150,000 or less, according to property portal Zoopla, though availability varies sharply by region. Zoopla found roughly 12% of properties on the market nationally fall into that price bracket, with concentrations in the North East of England and parts of Scotland.

Zoopla identified Sunderland and Aberdeen as the strongest hotspots for buyers on tight budgets, reporting that about half of properties listed in each city are priced at £150,000 or below. Darlington, Blackpool, Swansea, Lincoln, Wolverhampton, Plymouth and Peterborough also feature among the areas with a relatively large share of lower-priced stock.

Regional breakdowns underline the divide between Britain’s cheaper housing markets and high-price areas. In the North East, 41% of homes on sale are listed at £150,000 or less, while across Scotland the share is around 30%. In contrast, only 2% of London listings meet that threshold and 7% do so across the South East; Croydon is highlighted as a relatively better option within London, with about 7% of its listings priced at £150,000 or less.

"The North East and Scotland are clear hotspots for budget-conscious buyers, with a significant proportion of homes for sale priced under £150,000," said Daniel Copley, a consumer expert at Zoopla. "In these areas, affordability doesn't just mean a low price tag; it also means more choice."

The type of accommodation available at lower price points differs markedly by region. In much of the south of England the affordable market is dominated by flats; Zoopla said flats account for more than 70% of listings under £150,000 in the South East and East of England. In London, 64% of homes priced under £150,000 are one-bedroom flats and around half of those are offered via shared ownership schemes. By contrast, in the North East and parts of Wales a higher proportion of two- and three-bedroom houses are listed at or below the £150,000 mark, offering more options for families seeking space. For example, more than a third of Swansea's lower-priced listings are three-bedroom houses.

Industry figures urged prospective buyers to consider flexibility and relocation as tools to access more affordable housing. "Buyers who are able to approach their next home move with a greater level of flexibility can reap the rewards of relocation to more popularly priced areas of the country," said Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark. He added that improvements to transport links and flexible working arrangements could enable some buyers to move to areas that suit their social and professional needs.

Zoopla and estate agents point to concrete examples of what buyers can still find. A three-bedroom terraced house in Grangetown, Sunderland, was offered at £145,000 with a sizeable back garden. In Aberdeen, a two-bedroom end-of-terrace property overlooking King’s Links golf course was listed for £135,000. A three-bed terraced house in Darlington marketed as move-in ready appeared at £125,000.

The supply of lower-priced homes comes as many buyers face pressure from high living costs and elevated mortgage rates. The government has been in talks with mortgage lenders to explore ways to make it easier for people to get on the housing ladder, including proposals to permit higher loan-to-income multiples for a broader cohort of borrowers. Earlier reforms have enabled some lenders to offer mortgages of five to six times a borrower’s annual salary to more customers, compared with the traditional limit of about 4.5 times salary. The Financial Conduct Authority is also working on simplifying aspects of mortgage lending rules, including affordability checks.

Mortgage advisers and brokers counsel that borrowers needing to remortgage or secure a purchase should explore options as soon as possible. Homeowners typically can lock in a new mortgage rate six to nine months before a deal ends without an obligation to take it; fees are often added to the loan and charged on completion, a choice that can affect overall interest costs. Buy-to-let landlords, particularly those on interest-only deals, face larger increases in monthly costs when rates rise and are advised to plan remortgaging well in advance.

Market observers say the pattern of where sub-£150,000 housing remains available highlights the wider affordability gap between northern and southern England and the pressures facing first-time buyers in London and the South East. Zoopla's data suggests that while bargains remain, they are concentrated in specific local markets and often take forms — such as houses in the North East or flats and shared-ownership units in the south — that reflect local supply and demand dynamics.