Detached homes are losing appeal with buyers, leaving many downsizers struggling to sell.
New research from over-50s property firm Regency Living shows that mid-sized homes, especially terraced and semi-detached properties, are driving activity in today’s housing market. Detached homes, however, are lagging behind, squeezed by high mortgage costs and affordability pressures.
Regency Living analysed current buyer demand across England and found that just 34.4% of detached homes on the market are sold subject to contract (SSTC). In contrast, demand for mid-sized properties is much stronger. Terraced homes have a 50.3% SSTC rate, while semi-detached properties sit close behind at 50.2%.
"There is always going to be a high level of demand for larger family homes as those looking to progress up the property ladder look for suitable properties to help them lay firmer foundations on which to build a family," explains Tim Simmons, sales & marketing director at Regency Living. "In fact, one issue that has plagued the market historically is a shortage of such homes, particularly given that many older homeowners aren’t downsizing until far later in life."
However, he warns that affordability issues are shifting buyer behaviour:
"Stubbornly high house prices, expensive mortgages, and increased levels of stamp duty appear to be forcing family buyers to opt for mid-sized homes in the current market, such as terraced and semi-detached properties, instead of the more expensive detached properties."
This market shift is now creating a knock-on effect.
"As a direct result of this, we’ve seen a rise in the number of people wanting to downsize from larger detached homes but have been unable to do so due to low demand for such properties at present.", adds Simmons.
Mid-sized homes dominate buyer interest across England
The trend is reflected across all English counties, where either terraced or semi-detached homes hold the top spot for demand. Semi-detached homes are seeing especially high buyer activity in Bedfordshire, where 61.5% of listings are already SSTC. Tyne & Wear follows closely at 60.9%, with the City of Bristol at 59.6%.
Terraced homes are leading in other parts of the country. In South Yorkshire, 60.6% of terraced homes have found buyers. Greater Manchester reports 59.7%, and Bedfordshire appears again with 58.9%, showing particularly strong interest in mid-sized housing.
Although detached homes are falling behind overall, some pockets of the country are bucking the trend. In the City of Bristol, 49.1% of detached properties have already sold, followed by 43.6% in Bedfordshire and 42.5% in Berkshire. These outliers suggest that demand for larger homes remains regionally dependent, likely tied to local wage growth, commuting patterns, and school catchments.
