Buyer interest in cottages has dropped by a third (32%) since H1 2023, according to analysis from Zoopla.

Historically, cottages have commanded premium interest from buyers seeking an idyllic lifestyle.

In 2024, the term was the fourth most searched for on Zoopla, likely a result of the ‘cottagecore’ boom – a social media led trend which romanticised simple, rural living in picturesque cottages, and continued the interest stoked during the pandemic.

Since then, the trend has cooled significantly on rising living costs, higher mortgage rates and additional taxes for second home owners.

Alongside the decrease in buyer interest – measured by volume of views per property listing – sales agreed of cottages in the first half of 2026 are down 13% year on year, and the number of cottages for sale have dropped 9% in the same period.

This weakening demand is impacting cottage values across the UK. While wider UK house prices have grown, cottage values have fallen into negative territory at -0.3% year on year nationally.

The average price of a cottage is currently £321,641, a 0.3% drop in value compared to August 2025.

This decline in value contrasts the wider housing market, which has recorded an increase in average house prices over the past year by an average of 1.3%.

The trend is more pronounced in traditional cottage hotspot areas, with coastal and picturesque rural regions such as the Isle of Wight, the Cotswolds and Devon, seeing larger falls in the average value of cottages.

In 18 of 24 second-home hotspots analysed, average cottage values dropped faster than standard residential properties in the same postcodes – falling by an average of 1.4% year-on-year, compared to 0.4% for all homes in those areas.

North Devon saw the sharpest decline, with average cottage values down 6.1% year on year (from £350,494 to £329,118).

The trend is even true for Cornwall – the UK’s largest single market for character cottages and second homes. Cottage values in Cornwall dropped -1.3% year on year (from £302,203 to £298,182).

Zoopla executive director Richard Donnell said: “Cottages in picturesque rural or coastal areas have commanded strong buyer interest in recent years, but the market reality has now shifted.

“If you’re a buyer searching for a cottage in Wales, Cornwall or the Lake District, the balance of power has shifted your way. Competition has eased and it’s more of a buyers market.

“If you’re selling in one of these areas, price against today’s market, not three years ago — that’s what separates a speedy sale from a listing that sits on the market for six months. Speak to an agent to get a read of the market in the local areas and who is in the market to buy as well as local levels of competition.”