Across Britain, 82,149 new-build homes have sold during the pandemic; Scotland was home to the highest level, with new-build sales totalling 9.9% of total homes sold.
London followed, with 9,765 new-build sales during the pandemic equating to 8.1% of total market activity, while the East Midlands was third, with 6.8% of total market transactions coming via the new-build sector.
Wales had the lowest level of new-build sales in respect of total market activity; since February of last year, the 1,820 new-build sales to have completed equated to just 3.4% of total homes sold.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets saw the most purchases on a local level, with 1,354 new-build homes purchased since February 2020, amounting to 35.2% of all property transactions.
East Lothian ranked as the second strongest market for new-build sales, accounting for 27.1% of total house sales.
Newham (24.8%), Midlothian (23.2%) and Greenwich (19.2%), West Lothian (16.4%) and Hackney (16.3%), Harborough (18.6%), South Derbyshire (16.6%) and Rugby (15.5%) also made the top 10 for local markets.
At the other end of the market, new-build properties accounted for 0.1% of sales in Stevenage, the lowest proportion of market activity across the nation.
Lee Martin, head of UK for Unlatch, said: “The availability of new homes and the proportion of market activity they account for is always going to differ based on a range of factors including the availability of developments, the time at which they reach the market, their affordability for homebuyers in the area and the profit margins they provide to those building them.
“The latter often means that some areas are always going to benefit from a greater degree of focus from housebuilders and new-build market activity will consistently sit above national and regional averages.
“However, it’s reassuring to see that the new-build sector does account for a healthy level of sales across the board and continues to play a pivotal role in providing the new homes we desperately need.”
