Every buyer wants the best possible deal on a property they’re interested in. The question is, when does the market actually offer one?
Using our Automated Valuation Model (AVM), we analysed seasonal patterns to determine which months of the year buyers will typically pay the lowest premium above a home’s true value, and the months when that same property would command a higher price.
We used our AVM to find out when buyers can gain the upper hand and secure homes below the model’s valuation.
We analysed UK property sales by comparing the actual price paid at full market value with our AVM valuation at the point of purchase. The aim was to identify the months when buyers secure the greatest advantages and when they are most at risk of overpaying. The analysis covers the period of September 2024 to August 2025.
The best month to buy a property is August, when purchasers secure a median average discount on the value of the property of 0.6%. This represents an average saving of £1,500 off the typical paid price of £388,700. This is followed by July, with a median average discount of 0.4% and March at 0.2%. A review of previous years’ data suggests that the summer months deliver the highest discounts relative to valuation.
Conversely, the worst month to buy a property is November, when purchasers typically pay £1,300 above the property’s assessed value. The graph below outlines the performance of each month of the year:
The best day overall to buy a property in the last year was Thursday, 14th August 2025. On this day, buyers typically acquired a discount of £2,000 per purchase.*
Throughout the analysis period, Inner London consistently recorded the highest percentage discount in the UK, with purchasers saving an average of £2,000 below the property’s underlying value. The South East came in second with purchasers paying £600 less than the AVM value. In contrast, Scotland was the region where buyers most frequently paid above valuation, with purchasers spending an average of £1,900 more than the property’s assessed worth. This is followed by the North East, where the buyer will pay £900 above the AVM value, and Yorkshire and the Humber, £600 more.
Overall, buyers in the South can generally expect to secure a discount, while those in the Midlands and the North are more likely to pay a premium above the property’s value.
Purchasers buying in rural areas generally pay a premium of £500 compared with urban locations when measured against the property’s valuation.
According to our analysis, the ten cities achieving the largest discounts below full market value** are shown in the table below:
Glasgow leads the table, with buyers securing an impressive £7,800 saving against the AVM value, followed closely by Ayr, where purchasers typically save £7,500.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the cities commanding prices above the AVM value:
Scotland features eight times in the top ten, with buyers paying an average premium of £10,400 in Aberdeen, followed by Dumfries at £6,500 above the AVM.
Timing can make a real difference when buying a property in the UK. By analysing AVM data, it’s clear that seasonal patterns affect the price buyers pay relative to a property’s true value. Warmer months, particularly August, prove to offer the greatest opportunity to secure a property below its estimated value, while November sees prices pushed up. These insights show how thousands can be saved for buyers, whilst sellers and agents can gain an idea of the months when property values are maximised. Time really is money!
*In order to provide this analysis, we stipulated that there had to be more than 1,000 purchases daily.
**The analysis was limited to cities with 1000+ completions to ensure meaningful results