A homeowner can sell for considerably more than they paid and still find that moving is difficult to afford. That distinction sits behind a Hamptons analysis of homes sold in England and Wales during 2024, which reported an average gross gain of £91,820. The figure was lower than in the two preceding years and was measured before the costs of selling, buying or borrowing. This is a historical snapshot based on 2024 transactions, reported in January 2025; it is not a measure of today’s market.
What the average measures
Hamptons calculated the difference between the original purchase price and the eventual sale proceeds. It is not the owner’s take-home profit. Estate-agent fees, legal costs, repairs, mortgage interest, early repayment charges and taxes can all affect the amount left after a move. The average also combines homes with very different purchase dates, locations and conditions. It cannot predict what an individual property will sell for.
The regional pattern was uneven. London sellers recorded the highest average cash gain, at £172,350, while the North East average was £38,220. Yet a larger cash gain does not automatically mean a more comfortable move: the next home may also cost more, and transaction costs can consume part of the equity. A buyer trading up needs to consider the price gap between the home being sold and the one being purchased, not just the gain on the first property.
Houses and flats diverged
The analysis found a marked difference between property types. A house sold in 2024 had, on average, gained 47% on its purchase price, or £102,500, after roughly nine years of ownership. For flats, the reported average was 23%, or £48,050, after about 8.8 years. These are cohort averages, not guaranteed outcomes. They also compare nominal purchase and sale prices rather than adjusting for inflation or the cost of improvements.
That gap matters for owners who hope to use accumulated equity to move from a flat to a house. If the flat has risen less in value while the target house has become more expensive, the deposit gap can widen even when the flat has not fallen in price. Mortgage affordability and the amount a lender will advance remain separate constraints.
Why owners may wait
When price growth is slower and the cost of borrowing or moving is high, some households may decide that a move can wait. Hamptons reported that 34% of sellers had owned their home for fewer than five years, while longer ownership periods were generally associated with larger gross gains in its dataset. Neither figure proves why a particular household moved or stayed. Employment, family needs, available homes and mortgage terms also shape the decision.
For anyone assessing a possible move, the practical lesson is to model the full transaction: a realistic sale price, the remaining mortgage, selling and purchase costs, the price of the next home, and the new monthly payment. The 2024 data help explain how earlier price growth was distributed; they should not be used as a personal valuation or a forecast.
**Source and date:** Hamptons’ analysis of England and Wales transactions completed in 2024, published in January 2025. The Guardian reported the findings on 13 January 2025. Figures are gross gains before transaction and financing costs.