Zoopla: 12% of UK homes listed at £150,000 or less, with Sunderland and Aberdeen among hotspots

About 12% of homes listed for sale across Britain are priced at £150,000 or less, according to data compiled by property portal Zoopla, offering a narrow window of opportunity for buyers under pressure from high living costs and elevated mortgage rates.

Zoopla identified clear regional concentrations of sub-£150,000 stock. Sunderland and Aberdeen were highlighted as the most affordable large markets, with nearly half of properties for sale at or below that threshold in each city. Darlington, Blackpool, Swansea, Lincoln, Wolverhampton, Plymouth and Peterborough also featured among the top 10 towns and cities where low-priced listings are more common.

Regional patterns show sharp contrasts. In the North East 41% of homes for sale are listed at £150,000 or less; across Scotland the figure is around 30%. By contrast, just 2% of London listings and 7% across the South East fall into the sub-£150,000 band. Croydon is a relative outlier within the capital region, with about 7% of listed homes priced at £150,000 or less, Zoopla said.

The type of property available at lower price points differs markedly between regions. In London and parts of the south, flats dominate the affordable stock: 64% of London homes listed at £150,000 or less are one-bedroom flats, and Zoopla said about half of these are shared-ownership properties. In the South East and East of England, flats account for more than 70% of affordable listings. By contrast, buyers in much of the North East and in Wales can still find a higher share of two- and three-bedroom houses at these prices; in Swansea, more than a third of sub-£150,000 listings are three-bedroom houses.

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

Nathan Emerson, chief executive of trade body Propertymark, said buyers who can be more flexible about location can benefit from relocating to areas with more affordable supply. "With improved transport links being introduced across the country and flexible working arrangements in place from many employers, more people should hopefully find themselves in a position to enhance their quality of life and relocate to suit their social and professional needs," he said. Emerson pointed to Sunderland's combination of coastal living and city amenities as a draw for some purchasers.

Estate agents and market observers cautioned that cheaper properties can come with trade-offs. Michael Zucker of north London estate agent Jeremy Leaf & Co said shrinking availability at lower price points reflects rising average property prices generally. "In terms of looking somewhere cheaper, it is all very well getting better value by being flexible on location but that is difficult if travel time and costs to work, friends and family become onerous as a result," he said. Zucker added that some lower-priced properties may be in isolated or less desirable areas, which limits their appeal to buyers reluctant to sever social networks.

Examples of current listings illustrated by Zoopla's snapshot include a three-bedroom terraced house in Grangetown, Sunderland, on sale for £145,000 and described as having a sizeable garden and patio; a two-bedroom end-of-terrace house in Aberdeen listed at £135,000, noted for resident parking and views towards a golf course and beach boulevard; and a three-bedroom terraced house in Darlington priced at £125,000 and marketed as finished to a high standard and ready to move into.

Policy and lending changes may affect some prospective buyers' ability to access mortgages. Ministers met mortgage lenders this week to discuss measures aimed at making it easier for people to get on the housing ladder, including enabling larger loan multiples for certain borrowers. Earlier regulatory changes this year widened the number of customers able to access mortgages at loan-to-income ratios of five to six times salary, up from the usual cap of about 4.5 times. The Financial Conduct Authority has also signalled moves to simplify mortgage affordability checks.

Market commentators said the latest data underlines the geographic imbalance in housing affordability across Britain. First-time buyers and households on tight budgets face acute constraints in London and much of the South East, where affordable options are concentrated in smaller flats and often shared-ownership arrangements. In contrast, parts of the North East and Scotland continue to offer a broader range of lower-priced family homes, though the number of such properties represents a minority of the national market.

Zoopla's analysis provides a snapshot of asking prices on the market rather than completed sales, and regional proportions can change with supply, demand and local economic conditions. For buyers weighing options, estate agents and trade groups advise assessing transport links, employment prospects and community ties alongside headline price when considering relocation to chase lower-priced housing stock.