Wondering which area of Edinburgh boasted the highest average property selling price last year, or which Fife town saw the greatest year-on-year decrease in selling time in 2020? In this article, we use ESPC data to highlight the top areas of 2020.

Top areas by average property selling price

The top location by average selling price in 2020 was the highly desirable area of Merchiston in Edinburgh, with an average selling price of £565,933, up 40.5% compared to 2019. It was followed by the exclusive areas of Greenbank and Grange.

However, it was a town in the Borders that saw the greatest year-on-year increase in average property selling price - Kelso saw a 45.2% increase compared to 2019, rising to £214,232.

Find out how much your home is worth

Top areas by property sales volume

The historic Fife town of Dunfermline boasted the highest volume of property sales of any ESPC district in 2020. However, sales in the area were down 18.3% year-on-year. Dunfermline was followed by Corstorphine and Leith for highest volume of property sales during the year.

Kelso saw the greatest year-on-year increase in property sales, rising by 15.9%.

Dunfermline

Top areas by the number of property listings

Given these locations also achieved the greatest number of sales in 2020, it is unsurprising that Dunfermline, Leith and Corstorphine saw the greatest number of homes coming to market last year. However, Dunfermline and Corstorphine saw a slight decline in listings compared to 2019, while Leith saw a 21.8% increase.

Lasswade and Fountainbridge saw the greatest year-on-year increases at 77.8% and 73.3% increase, respectively.

Search all properties for saLE

Top areas by property selling time

The median time for properties in Balgreen to be placed under offer was just 12 days during 2020, eight days faster than 2019. Properties in Pilton had a median selling time of 13 days.

During 2020, the seaside town of St Andrews saw a significant decline in the median time it took for a property to be placed under offer, dropping by 23 days to 50 days.

St Andrews

Top areas by average percentage of Home Report valuation achieved

With its location on the banks of Firth of Forth and an array of beautiful Georgian and Victorian homes, Joppa properties achieved 107.6% of Home report valuation on average, up 2.1 percentage points compared to last year. Properties in the highly desirable area of Trinity achieved 106.8% of Home Report valuation on average.

In terms of year-on-year increase, properties in Kelso saw the average percentage of Home Report valuation achieved rise 4.8 percentage points compared to 2019, while the Midlothian town of Newtongrange saw an increase of 4.6 percentage points.

Top areas by closing dates

Closing dates are indicative of a competitive market and certain districts saw high percentages of these during 2020. 61% of Newtongrange properties sold through ESPC agents went to a closing date while 51% of Joppa properties did.

These districts also saw the greatest year-on-year increase in the percentage of closing dates, at 41.7 and 31.6 percentage points, respectively.

Find out more

If you're thinking of selling your house or flat, find out how much your home is worth with a free property valuation from an ESPC agent. Also, check out our detailed guide to selling a house in Scotland

As the home of property, ESPC offers a free property advice service to buyers and sellers

You may also be interested in...

House Price Report December 2020

In the last quarter of 2020, there was a significant year-on-year increase in both property sales volume and the number of homes coming to market.

Year in review: 2020 and the property market

We look at local property market activity throughout 2020, revealing average selling prices and other key statistics.

How much is my home worth?

Find out how much your home is worth with a free valuation. 

The above data is based on properties sold or listed by ESPC agents in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders from January to December 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. All areas featured had to have a minimum of 30 property sales or listings during 2020 to ensure all statistics provided were valid.