Top 10 cities to 'flip' a house revealed by new report

The top 10 cities to ‘flip’ a house in the UK revealed

• New report names Manchester as the best place to ‘flip’ a house for profit

• Renovators in Liverpool are adding the most value with +£20,000 on average

• Seven of the top 10 cities are in Northern England or Scotland

A new report has named Manchester as the best place to ‘flip’ a house by analysing house price data, the number of houses sold and home improvement stores in cities across the UK.

House sales in 2021 peaked at highest records since 2007 with one in 16 properties across the nation switching hands - Wales and Northwest England saw the largest price jump. In light of this, designer radiator specialists BestHeating has released the UK’s Flipping Hot Spots report that lists the best places to buy a house with the intention of renovating and selling it for profit.

The report is broken down into a number of data categories to determine the top cities. To see how popular a city is with buyers, the data includes number of houses sold; home improvement stores per square mile shows accessibility to renovation resources; and the increase in house value indicates likelihood of returning a profit. The online heating experts also polled ‘flippers’ on the value they have added to their property from renovations.

Results from the report show the best place to flip a house is Manchester which ranks strong across every category. It has the second highest number of houses sold behind London at 20,499 and the third greatest number of home improvement stores per square mile.

House prices in Manchester have risen by more than a quarter (26%) in the last five years to £261,655 and the average property owner has added £19,000 to its value due to renovations which ranks second – therefore making it a hot spot to gain a profit from flipping.

(Manchester - Image By estherpoon Canva)

Nottingham is the second-best city to head to if you’re wanting to flip a house where prices have risen 37% in five years. It also has more home improvement stores than anywhere else in the UK with 7.1 per square mile, and the average value added to properties through renovating is £18,000 which is the third highest in the country.

In third is Liverpool where renovators have added more value to their home than anywhere else in the country at an added £20,000. Appetite for new homes is high with over 17,000 sold in the past year, and there are 2.1 home improvement stores per square mile.

Ranking fourth is Stoke-on-Trent with house prices going up by a quarter in the last five years. It also ranks highly for the number of DIY stores which makes it easy to purchase tools or items to update and add value to a property.

Next is Leeds where house prices have risen by a quarter and 14,373 houses have sold in the last two years, indicating it is a great place to purchase and do up a house. Renovating has added an average of £12,000 for flippers in the West Yorkshire city.

Jess Steele, content manager of BestHeating commented: “The number of people purchasing a house to renovate and sell on for profit has increased greatly in popularity over the last few years, providing a strong second source of income for many.

“Our report shows that there is a north and south divide when it comes to flipping a house with seven of the top 10 places being in the north of England or Scotland. Manchester provides the perfect balance for those who wish to do this as house prices are rising at a nice rate as well as lots of people selling houses. The number of nearby home improvement stores is key to this as it is easily accessible when making updates which will help add value when someone is ‘flipping’ a property.

“By ranking cities in this way, we can support the high proportion of Brits that are looking to begin renovating by showing them the places that will provide them with the best chance of flipping a house successfully. For anyone planning to take on a renovation, it is important to remember to check a property thoroughly before purchasing as you don’t want to lose money by not making basic checks.”