ESPC House Price Report - April 2026

Inside the Edinburgh property market

Here’s how Edinburgh’s market performed between February – April 2026:

• Average selling price: £295,289 (down 3.1% on the same time last year)
• Time to under offer: 26 days (seven days faster than last year)
• New listings: Up 1.5% compared to the same period last year
• Sales volumes: Down 6.4% year-on-year

Sales down, but homes are selling faster

Edinburgh’s housing market saw sales volumes decrease by 6.4% compared to the previous year; however, April 2025 was an exceptionally busy period, so the figures we see for this year are more in line with what we’d traditionally expect to see in April. Average selling prices were slightly down too, however there were more properties coming onto the market, and most interestingly, the speed of sale increased significantly, with homes in Edinburgh going under offer seven days faster than at the same time last year.

Flats continue to dominate listings and sales

Edinburgh’s market continues to be led by the sales of one- and two-bedroom flats across the city. Leith dominated the market in terms of both sales and listings, while two-bedroom flats in Slateford saw sales increase by 110%, and two-bed flats in Bonnington saw sales levels soar by 117%.

Certain neighbourhoods sparking increased demand

We continue to see a pattern of more affordable and accessible neighbourhoods driving demand, especially for first-time buyer-friendly flats. Gorgie, Slateford and Granton were among the neighbourhoods seeing strong sales during this period.

Competition remains healthy throughout the Capital

While more properties coming onto the market effectively provide a more measured environment, Edinburgh’s popularity meant that the market during this period still saw a strong level of competition. 72.8% of properties sold for at least their Home Report valuation, up 0.7 percentage points on last year and up almost 3% on 2024’s figures. The average percentage of Home Report valuation paid dropped slightly, from 101.7% to 101.5%, and the proportion of properties that went to a closing date dropped from 22% to 20.4%, but we would expect to see this happen with increasing numbers of properties on the market for buyers to choose from.

Inside the East Lothian property market

Here’s how East Lothian’s market shaped up during February – April 2026:

• Average selling price: £304,523 (up 10.4% year-on-year)
• Time to under offer: 40 days (eight days slower than last year)
• New listings: Up 3.2% compared to the same period last year
• Sales volumes: Down 3.0% year-on-year

What’s selling in East Lothian?

As we’d expect to see, family homes dominate East Lothian’s property market. The sales of flats remain strong in commuter towns such as Musselburgh, but three-bedroom family homes account for the largest share of property sales across the region, and are the quickest-selling property type too. The significant jump in average selling price indicates increasing interest in the premium property market across this region too.

Musselburgh remains most popular

The coastal town of Musselburgh remained the epicentre of East Lothian’s property market, with sales volumes, average selling prices, average Home Report valuation achieved and closing dates all increasing year-on-year, while selling times in the area were nine days faster than the same time last year, hinting at very strong demand across the board.

Accessible neighbourhoods attract huge interest

Alongside Musselburgh, East Lothian’s more affordable towns, such as Haddington, Tranent, Prestonpans and Wallyford all saw strong sales volumes, indicating plenty of interest from family buyers looking for longer-term homes.

East Lothian’s fastest-selling homes

The fastest-selling property type in East Lothian was three-bedroom houses in Haddington, with selling times a whole week faster than at the same time last year. Three-bedroom houses in Musselburgh and Tranent also moved quickly, again hinting at strong demand from family buyers.

Inside the Midlothian property market

Here’s how Midlothian’s market performed between February-April 2026:

• Average selling price: £272,154 (down 0.3% year-on-year)
• Time to under offer: 33 days (one day faster than last year)
• Average percentage of Home Report valuation achieved: 100.2% (down 0.6 percentage points)

What’s selling in Midlothian?

Houses remain the dominant property type in Midlothian, with three-bedroom homes particularly popular. These properties account for the majority of sales and continue to drive the region’s housing market, reflecting strong demand for family-sized accommodation.

Bonnyrigg is in the highest demand

Seeing off competition from other popular commuter towns like Penicuik and Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg saw the highest volume of property sales during February-April, with sales volumes up 2.6% year-over-year, and the average selling price in the area rising 0.3% to £253,084. The number of properties going to a closing date in Bonnyrigg rose by 2.2% too, indicating increased demand.

Bidding pressure softens as buyers negotiate carefully

The proportion of properties achieving at least their Home Report valuation at sale dipped by 5% year-on-year, to 67.2% from 72.3%, while the average percentage of Home Report valuation achieved reduced by 0.6 percentage points, suggesting that buyers are being very careful when considering their best offers and feel under less pressure to bid at a premium in order to secure a property.

Dalkeith sees a boost to its market

The popular town of Dalkeith saw a healthy boost to its market during February-April, with sales volumes rising 3.1%, and property insertions increasing by 23.9%, offering plenty of options for buyers in the area.

Inside the West Fife & Kinross property market

Here’s how the market looked in West Fife & Kinross during February-April 2026:

• Average selling price: £233,861 (up 7.9% year-on-year)
• Sales volumes: Down 23.7% on last year
• New listings: Down 4.1% on the previous year
• Time to under offer: 27 days (eight days slower than last year)

Increasing selling prices despite a reduction in sales

The average selling price across West Fife & Kinross rose 7.9% year-on-year, which, contrasted with lower sales volumes, insertions and sales times, plus an increase of 0.3 percentage points in the amount of Home Report valuation paid, suggests that buyers may be more carefully considering their offers for the right property.

Family homes in Dunfermline drive demand

The demand for three- and four-bedroom family homes in the popular city of Dunfermline produced an interesting pattern. Fewer four-bedroom houses came onto the market during this period, however average selling prices for this property type rose by 9.3%, followed by a 3.6% increase for three-bedroom houses. Dunfermline dominated property listings overall, with the highest volume across any ESPC region.

Closing dates increase across the region

The proportion of properties going to a closing date rose by 6.2%, to 18% during this period, indicating a healthy rise in buyer competition (aligning with the reduced number of properties coming onto the market).

Dunfermline offers plenty of appeal for first-time buyers too

Alongside the drive for family homes, Dunfermline is also the hotspot for first-time buyers. The most affordable property type in West Fife & Kinross was two-bed flats in the city, selling for £145,250 on average, and this was also the fastest-selling property type, taking 16 days to go under offer.

Inside the East Fife property market

Here’s how East Fife’s market performed during February – April 2026:

• Average selling price: £273,251 (down 1.7% on the same time last year)
• Median time to under offer: 52 days (25 days faster than last year)
• Buyer incentives: Homes achieved 98.8% of Home Report valuation on average

A quiet period for the local property market in East Fife

The period of February – April 2026 was a quieter time for the local market, with sales volumes decreasing by 13.3% and new property insertions down by 8.4% year-on-year. Average property selling prices were slightly down, indicating a calmer market overall.

St Andrews dominates the local market

The popular university town of St Andrews saw the highest volume of property sales (with levels 40% higher than at the same time last year), and listings, indicating strong turnover in this sector of the market.

Kirkcaldy appeals to family buyers

Kirkcaldy was just behind St Andrews in terms of sales volumes, and it’s clear that this popular town is attracting healthy interest, especially from the family market. Properties here sold 13 days faster compared to last year, while three-bedroom houses were the region’s top sellers.

Inside the West Lothian property market

Here’s how West Lothian’s market performed during December 2025 - February 2026:

• Average selling price: £310,287 (up 7.0% year-on-year)
• Sales volumes: Up 18.0% compared to the same time last year
• New listings: Up 25.3% on last year
• Time to under offer: 44 days (18 days slower than last year)

Prices rise again

Prices across West Lothian saw a healthy boost of 7% year-on-year, suggesting an increased interest in higher value or larger properties across the region. The market did move at a slower pace, and the average amount of Home Report valuation paid reduced by 0.9%, which indicates that buyers are making slower and more considered choices if they are preparing to spend more on a new home.

Activity sees a significant boost, but buyer pressure softens in response

Throughout February-April, the local market in West Lothian saw a significant increase in the number of properties coming to the market and subsequently, property sales. In line with this, the level of closing dates set dropped by around 4% reflecting the softening pressure for buyers, and the percentage of properties achieving at least Home Report valuation at sale reduced to 61.8% from 64.6%.

Livingston drives demand

The commuter-friendly town of Livingston saw the highest number of property sales, with levels up 23.1% on last year, and average selling prices rising by 11.9% too. The area also saw the largest proportion of properties going to a closing date, at 19%.

Inside the Scottish Borders property market

Here’s how the Borders’ market performed during February – April 2026:

• Average selling price: £226,830 (down 0.8% year-on-year)
• Average % of Home Report valuation achieved: 100% (up 0.7 percentage points)
• Median time to under offer: 48 days (24 days quicker year-on-year)

Sales volumes dip but insertions increase

Throughout February – April 2026, sales volumes across the Scottish Borders dipped slightly by 1.1% compared to the same time last year. However, new property listings increased by 5.8%, meaning buyers had plenty of options to consider. Interestingly, despite more properties being on the market, competition levels appeared to increase, with volumes of closing dates rising by 1.7% and 63.1% of homes selling for at least their Home Report valuation, up from 54.9%.

Properties sold faster overall

The median selling time across the Borders was fairly slow compared to other regions, at 48 days, however this is 24 days faster than during February-April 2025. Hawick was the region where homes sold the fastest, in just 23 days (90 days faster year-on-year).

Kelso stands out in the market

The popular market town of Kelso stood out during this period, with a 1.2% increase in average selling prices, and the highest proportion of Home Report valuation paid, at 102.5% (one percentage point higher than at the same time last year). The percentage of properties going to a closing date rose by 2 percentage points to 6%, and homes in the area sold in 33 days, three days faster than last year.