Do you have dreams of spending your days in an old country cottage or a huge stately home, but don't know where to start?

Well, we can reveal in which cities homebuyers have the best and worst chance of purchasing a grade-listed building.

Buildings are listed when they are considered to be of significant interest or importance to our culture and heritage.

Such classification ensures that the buildings are protected against physical and environmental alterations. As such, there are often strict limitations on how owners can extend, adapt, or modernise the property.

Despite these limitations, living in a listed home is still very appealing to most buyers. The unique charm and architectural significance of these buildings are difficult to resist.

We analysed property listings to see how many grade-listed properties are currently for sale. We also looked into the level of buyer demand for these homes.

Buyer demand for grade-listed homes

Across the nation, the average demand for grade-listed homes is currently a staggering 52.7%. Meaning more than half of all listed homes are already under offer or sold subject to contract.

Bournemouth takes the top spot for the demand for grade-listed homes, with 76.9% already snapped up. Closely followed by nearby Southampton (75.9%) and then Sheffield (66.7%) in third place. Rounding off the top 5, with Oxford (61.9%), and Portsmouth (60%).

Grade-listed property availability

However, despite demand being high in many cities, the chances of actually buying a grade-listed home remain low.

This is because listed homes account for such a low percentage of the homes currently on the market - just 3.7% of all for sale stock across the nation. So to get your hands on one, you need to act quickly.

There are four major cities where availability exceeds this average: Southampton (6.9%), Manchester (6.2%), Plymouth (6%), and Liverpool (4.9%).

In all other major cities, grade listed availability is below average. Specifically, in the Scottish cities of Glasgow (0.2%), Edinburgh (0.4%), and Aberdeen (0.5%), and the Welsh cities of Swansea (0.7%), Cardiff (0.8%), and Newport (0.8%).

Co-founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented:

“Housing market demand is incredibly high and buyers are going to extraordinary lengths to secure purchases and fend off competitors. For sellers, this is wonderful news; rarely have they been in a stronger position than they are today.

But perhaps those in the strongest position of all are sellers with a grade-listed home. They are particularly hard to come by and their unique nature keeps them in high demand amongst the nation’s homebuyers.

Of course, they aren’t for everyone and a grade-listed home comes with a range of rules, regulations and responsibilities to adhere to. However, for those that wish to own a small piece of the historic fabric of our nation, they are very sought after indeed.”

Learn about selling listed properties here.