"Chain-free homes are always going to be popular among buyers in the same way that cash buyers are always going to be popular among sellers. The absence of a chain makes everything easier and eliminates much of the risk often associated with homebuying. "
New research by property purchasing specialist, House Buyer Bureau, has shown where the nation’s homebuyers have the best chance of snapping up a chain-free home and securing a far safer, more streamlined property purchase and how in demand these homes are amongst homebuyers based on the number of chain-free homes that have already been marked as sold subject to contract or under offer.
The good news is that, across the 21 major cities analysed by House Buyer Bureau, chain-free stock availability has increased by 3.4% since June 2022, rising from 36.6% of all available homes to 40%.
The biggest stock increase has been reported in Glasgow (9%), while Portsmouth (8.1%), Bristol (6.1%), and Nottingham (5.3%) have all seen significant boosts to chain-free stock.
Portsmouth also tops the table in terms of total chain-free stock availability, where 55.7% of all available properties currently listed for sale are chain-free.
Southampton (48.2%), Sheffield (47.7%), Cardiff (47.3%), and Bristol all have healthy levels of chain-free stock.
However, those looking for a smoother path to homeownership with a chain-free purchase will have to move swiftly, as 42.8% of all chain-free homes listed in the current market have already been snapped up by buyers.
Bristol is home to the highest homebuyer demand levels for a chain-free property at 57.2%, followed by Plymouth (56.5%), Belfast (56%), Southampton (50.2%) and Sheffield (50%).
In Plymouth, demand is measuring 56.5%, while it also sits above 50% in Belfast (56%), and Southampton (50.2%).
The widespread fall in demand is having a positive impact on available stock levels, good news for any current buyers who are particularly keen to secure a chain-free home.
Chris Hodgkinson, Managing Director of House Buyer Bureau, commented: “Chain-free homes are always going to be popular among buyers in the same way that cash buyers are always going to be popular among sellers. The absence of a chain makes everything easier and eliminates much of the risk often associated with home buying.
"The good news is that there is currently a robust level of current market stock that offers a chain-free purchase and this chain-free stock availability has climbed pretty much across the board since last summer's pandemic market peak.
"The bad news is that such properties are predictably popular amongst buyers and so they don’t tend to hang around for long. So if you do come across a property you like and it happens to be chain-free, the best advice is to act sooner rather than later to secure it.”
