HOUSES sales are completing faster in Worcestershire than anywhere else in the country – good news if you’re in a mad rush to beat the stamp duty deadline.

But you need to get a move on, because the average time in the county from offer to competition is 164 days, which would take you well beyond the end of March, when the stamp duty cuts come to an end.

In fact if you made an offer on a house today it would be approaching mid May, on average, before you completed.

The property market has been in something of a rush because of the stamp duty ‘holiday’, with families rushing to complete.

New research into the fastest and slowest moving property markets shows Worcestershire as the quickest place to complete a sale.

Its 164 days compares with the most sluggish market in the City of London, at 208 days. Mind you, at an average asking price of £922,835, the City is a pretty unusual market.

Instead Worcestershire’s average asking price is £269,667.

The Midlands average is 168 days to sell, with an asking price of £211,678.

In fact the top five fast-moving counties are all in the Midlands with an average asking price of £222,311 and 166 days from offer to completion.

Worcestershire is number one, followed by Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

The research was carried out by online estate agent Emoov using four years of property transaction data.

The firm believe the pandemic will slow the housing market down.

They foresee houses staying on the market longer and conveyancing times growing as people work for home.

And their top tips for a quick sale? Competitive pricing and great marketing photos.

“Overpriced homes will sit on the market, and may end up having to be discounted, and the longer you are on the market the less attractive you are to buyers.”