The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)

Scottish home owners are biggest movers in property market

Scots tend to buy a new house more often than elsewhere in Britain

- VICKY SHAW

The average home owner moves properties every 23 years, analysis has found.

Scotland is home to the most frequent movers in Britain, the research suggests, with the average home owner staying put for around 19 and a half years.

People in Wales remain in their home the longest, taking an average of 26.8 years to move.

Property website Zoopla made the findings after working with analysts Hometrack.

The research looked at sales figures across Britain and compared them with housing stock levels to work out how often people typically move, using Land Registry and Registers of Scotland data.

Residents in Midlothian, Scotland, are particular­ly likely to move frequently – after just under 15 years on average, the research suggests.

At the other end of the spectrum, residents of Powys in mid-Wales only move around once every 33 years.

Researcher­s said the frequency of home owners moving has fluctuated in recent years.

In 2009, after the financial crisis, people tended to move less often, around once every 26 years.

The research was released to coincide with the launch of a new “move planner” tool by Zoopla.

Spokesman Lawrence Hall said: “Regions with a shorter time between house moves could offer better affordabil­ity than those areas where properties change hands less regularly.”

A separate report, from Lloyds Bank, has found the average cost of moving home is now more than £11,500.

 ?? Picture: Getty. ?? The average home owner moves every 23 years.
Picture: Getty. The average home owner moves every 23 years.
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