The counties with the highest – and lowest – number of properties for sale compared to the size of the local population have been revealed.
The locations with the highest number of homes listed per person locally are Dorset, East Sussex, Kent, Essex and Buckinghamshire.
By contrast, the areas with the least homes available per population are Durham, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Worcestershire.
In Dorset, there is one home available to buy per 130 local residents, but in Durham that is a whopping one home per 1,693.
Supply and demand: Property prices have continued to rise, largely thanks to a lack of availability
The locations with the highest number of homes per person locally are Dorset, East Sussex, Kent, Essex and Buckinghamshire
A lack of available properties continues to cripple the housing market, leading to higher house prices as demand continues to remain strong.
Data this week from Halifax shows the typical home has grown more than £28,000 in value in the last year – and £43,000 since pandemic start.
Values have continued to climb despite inflationary pressures on households, including from energy, fuel and food.
The findings were based on March data from Rightmove, and compiled by Jackson-Stops estate agents.
It looked at the number of homes for sale in each county in England and then applied ONS data to establish how many homes are for sale compared to how many people there are in each county.
While buyers of course may of course swap counties, a large chunk of buyers will be those staying within county borders.
Jackson-Stops suggested the findings helped identity areas that offer buyers greater choice.
For example, the table above reveals that typically for every 130 people living in Dorset, there is one home available for sale.
Simply using data showing only the number of homes for sale can be misleading given it does not take into account how populous those areas are.
There is an average of 3,460 homes for sale per county in England, which has a homes to population ratio of 255 people to every resident in England. This is based on 46 counties and excludes London.
On sale: There is an average of 3,460 homes for sale per county in England
The areas with the least homes available per population are Durham, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Worcestershire
The data found that there were 160,000 homes for sale in England, with 78 per cent of counties with less than 5,000 listings.
In addition, 59 per cent of homes available for sale are two and three-bedroom properties, with larger family homes accounting for 26 per cent of the market.
By contrast, the county with the fewest number of homes on the market per population is Durham.
Typically for every 1,693 people living in Durham, there is one home available for sale. The next in the list is the West Midlands, with one home available per 445 residents.
Nick Leeming, of Jackson-Stops, said: ‘Low stock levels underpinned the property market in 2021 and acted as a contributing factor to unprecedented levels of demand with soaring house prices.
‘These themes have continued into 2022, however buyers are now acting with intent and the love affair of owning a home has not abated. Knowing which parts of the country can offer more choice is hugely helpful in informing decision making, particularly for those with a specific budget.’
It comes as average house prices in Britain hit another record high, despite an interest rate rise and Britons facing a mounting cost of living crisis.
Monthly house prices grew 1.4 per cent in March – the biggest increase in six months – pushing the average UK house price up to a record high of £282,753.
It means house prices have grown a staggering £43,577 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Halifax house price index.
