Would you buy a property after just one viewing?

30% of buyers bought home after just one viewingKarl Hendon

The property market has been incredibly tough to negotiate in recent years. But in 2022 it was love at first sight for almost 30 per cent of buyers who only viewed a home once before purchasing it, data from Knight Frank reveals.

There could be a few reasons for this: From hoping to secure a good mortgage rate to more preliminary research leading to increasingly decisive viewings. This is certainly true when it comes to the pandemic, where estate agents had to shift to relying on technology more.

By supercharging technology, online property listings came with videos and 360 degree tours, allowing potential buyers to really do their research and get a feel for a property before turning up for a viewing.

Those who missed out on buying in 2021 – during the stamp duty holiday and quite a bit of stiff competition – were certainly highly motivated to buy in 2022, says Chris Druce, senior research analyst at Knight Frank.

Stow-on-the-Wold, GloucestershireDavid Clapp - Getty Images

‘As the year progressed and interest rates increased and then spiked after the mini-Budget, buyers sitting on low-rate mortgage offers were also highly incentivised to act decisively,' Chris says.

The pandemic also saw people re-evaluate what was most important to them and their lifestyle when it came to their home. For example, deciding on having a back garden to spend more time outdoors, or move away from the city and into the countryside for more space.

'Buyers now turn up to a viewing committed to moving, typically having researched the area and the property itself beforehand. It means that when they fall in love with the house, they don't often need a second viewing to know it's the one,' James Cleland, head of the country business at Knight Frank, reveals.

Circus Lane in Edinburgh, Scotlandjoe daniel price - Getty Images

But where in the country were the most people buying after just one viewing? Well, unsurprisingly, many of the areas in the UK that have had a recent surge in demand – amid what has been called the 'race for space' – fared best on Knight Frank's list.

Here are the top 10 locations in the UK based on the percentage of buyers that viewed a property only once before buying it in 2022:

1. Edinburgh (57 per cent)

2. Esher (51 per cent)

3. Stow-on-the-Wold (45 per cent)

4. Weybridge (44 per cent)

5. Sevenoaks (39 per cent)

6. Richmond (38 per cent)

7. Hereford and Worcester (36 per cent)

8. South Kensington (36 per cent)

9. Canary Wharf, Wapping & Aldgate (35 per cent)

10. St Johns Wood (35 per cent)

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