Scotland's busiest estate agents

To coincide with St. Andrew’s celebrations, we analysed the thriving housing market of mainland Scotland and found that the nation’s best-performing pocket of the property market, based on average house price increases in the past year, is in the western region of Argyll & Bute.

Argyll & Bute

Mainland Scotland’s overall average house price has increased by 7.3% in the past year, growing from £178,865 in September 2021 to £191,941 today.

In Argyll & Bute however, there has been an impressive 25% growth in the average house price since last year - up from £165,416 to £206,735. This is the largest percentage increase across all Scottish regions.

Following behind, with a difference of 10% is West Lothian, where agents are currently achieving prices 15.7% higher than a year ago. The standard house cost has risen from £189,322 to a massive £219,002.

Prices in Dumfries and Galloway have also grown by 12.9%, leading to the current median of £165,011. Other areas that have performed well include East Dunbartonshire (12.6%), North Ayrshire (12.5%), and East Ayrshire (12.2%).

Which area has had the worst performance in house prices?

Shockingly, the worst performing market in the past year is the city of Aberdeen, where prices have decreased by 2.4% - dropping from £148,697 to £145,153. Although Aberdeen is the only area to see negative growth, places have experienced slow development. These regions include Aberdeenshire (1.9%), Clackmannanshire (4.3%), and Edinburgh (6.8%).

Where are Scotland’s busiest agents?

Across seven major Scottish cities, there are 1,421 estate agents and 32,951 property listings. On average, this means each agent is currently handling an estimated 23.2 listings each.

We found that Scotland’s busiest agents are located in Glasgow, with 448 agents and a total of 6,890 current listings - equating to 15.4 properties per agent.

In Edinburgh there are over 260 agents and 3,298 listings, with each agent, on average, handling 12.7 properties. While in other areas such as Inverness (6.7), Aberdeen (6.5), Dundee (6.0), Perth (5.3), and Stirling (2.1), the workload is much lighter.

‘The Scottish market is thriving’ - GetAgent CEO Colby Short

“The Scottish housing market has been thriving in recent years and the widespread annual price rises displayed in this data are proof of that. With ten regions showing price rises of 11% or more, it’s clear that the appetite for Scottish homes is high.

Scottish homes are not only attracting existing Scottish residents but also a large swathe of buyers who are looking to move to the country from other parts of Britain, not least England. Such buyers are being drawn by the lifestyle that Scotland offers, the relatively affordable house prices, and, perhaps, the potential for the country to gain full independence and reinsert itself as a member of the European Union.”

Data and methodology

Table shows estimated number of estate agents and current property listings in major Scottish cities.

Table shows annual house price growth (September 2021- September 2022) in mainland Scotland.