Zoopla has announced the most popular towns for home-hunters...did yours make the list?

South Wales is reeling in potential house buyers

Wales has always had a soft spot in our hearts as a place of amazing natural beauty, and the producers of some seriously yummy toffee waffles. However, it might surprise you that one of the most popular towns in UK for buyers right now is in South Wales.

Related: Saving for a deposit just got easier as Zoopla reveals renting has become more affordable

Zoopla has revealed that Swansea in South Wales has topped the list as one of the most popular towns in UK for home-hunters. Zoopla looked through the data of what properties home buyers were viewing over the last 12 months to work out the locations that were most popular.

big house made with stone

(Image credit: Zoopla)

Swansea proved to be the most popular town, with Llanelli in Carmarthenshire in South Wales coming in second place. Moving over to England, Leicester came in third place on the list of the most popular towns in UK for buyers.

Making up a large chunk of the list was seaside towns. Old-favourite destinations such as Brighton and Torquay came in as the 11th and 16th most popular property hot-spots in the UK. However, new up-and-coming seaside towns such as Margate, which has experienced a resurgence in popularity, snuck into 13th place.

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Rank

Post Town

Most Popular Outcode Within Town

County/Area

Average Property Value (£)

1

Swansea

SA4

Swansea

£174,551

2

Llanelli

SA15

Carmarthenshire

£137,046

3

Leicester

LE5

Leicestershire

£217,675

4

Preston

PR2

Lancashire

£180,658

5

Stoke-on-Trent

ST3

Staffordshire

£145,879

6

Newcastle-under-Lyme

ST5

Staffordshire

£184,311

7

Dumfries

DG1

Dumfries & Galloway

£159,637

8

Coventry

CV6

West Midlands

£163,339

9

Inverness

IV2

Highland

£206,338

10

Dunfermline

KY11

Fife

£185,435

Within London, Hampstead topped the list as the most popular destination with the average property costing £1,496. This is in no small part probably down to nearby Hampstead Heath and a neighbourhood full of celebrities.

Heading a little south, Wimbledon, home to  tennis and strawberries and cream, came in as the second most popular buyer hot-spot in London, whilst Docklands came in third place.

half white painted wall and half stoned

(Image credit: Zoopla)

'When it comes to the most-searched-for post towns on Zoopla in the last 12 months, as ever, the proof is in the data,' says Laura Howard, Consumer Expert at Zoopla. 'And, with SA4 and SA15 ranking first and second in the list, the data shows that South Wales reigns supreme.'

'This year's popularity could be partly attributed to the employment opportunities of nearby Swansea combined with The Gower, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on your doorstep,' Laura adds.

'At under £140,000 in SA15 and £175,000 in Swansea, average house prices are also still relatively affordable and fall under the Land Transaction Tax thresholds for Wales - welcome news for first-time buyers,' she explains.

Related: Zoopla reveals the alarming amount first-time buyers now need to earn to get on the property ladder

Are you tempted to peruse properties in Swansea?

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.