Demand for newbuild homes remained subdued during Q4 2025, according to the latest market analysis from Property Inspect, with fewer than one in five new properties securing a buyer.
Property Inspect analysed current market listings to assess what proportion of newbuild homes are already marked as sold subject to contract, providing an insight into how homebuyer demand has shifted during the final quarter of the year.
The research shows that, across Great Britain, newbuild buyer demand stood at 16.8% in Q4, down -0.9% on the previous quarter and -1.8% lower than the same period last year. This confirms a continued cooling in demand as the market closed out 2025.
Demand was weakest in Aberdeen, where just 1.5% of newbuild stock had found a buyer. Liverpool also saw low levels of demand at 3.6%, followed by Newcastle (4.5%), Swansea (5.8%), and Newport (6.7%).
On a quarterly basis, Newport recorded the sharpest quarterly decline in demand, falling by -8%, while Sheffi eld saw an -7.6% reduction. Bristol cooled notably, down -5.2%, while Aberdeen (-4.5%), Leicester (-4.3%) and Plymouth (-3.4%) also saw sharp drops. Meanwhile, demand in London edged down by -0.4%.
Despite this widespread decline in newbuild demand at the end of 2025, there were still pockets of resilience within the market. In terms of overall demand, Southampton continued to lead the way, with 39.7% of newbuild homes going under offer. Nottingham followed with demand at 25.6%, while Portsmouth (24.7%) and Bournemouth (22.9%) also posted relatively strong levels of interest.
Nottingham recorded the strongest quarterly growth in Q4, with demand rising by 7.5%. Glasgow saw a 3.3% uplift, while Portsmouth increased by 3%, highlighting that, despite wider headwinds, select markets continued to attract newbuild buyers.
Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Property Inspect, said: “Newbuild buyer demand has continued to ease, with fewer than one in five homes securing a buyer and momentum softening both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. With newbuild homes typically priced at a premium, it’s unsurprising that this part of the market has felt the impact most acutely. That said, the outlook is not universally downbeat, and well-presented newbuild stock can still generate strong levels of demand. But homes will not attract buyers by default: they must be constructed and finished to a high quality standard that creates confidence in buyers. This reinforces the growing importance of quality, compliance and consistency.”