We often talk about the average price of a home in Southampton, but that single figure can hide more than it reveals.
A one-bedroom flat, a three-bedroom family home and a substantial four-bedroom property serve completely different buyers. Combining them into one city-wide average does not tell us how the local property ladder is shaped, or how much buyers have historically paid to move from one rung to the next.
Looking at completed property sales split down by bedroom and price in Southampton since 1 January 1995 gives us a much clearer picture. During that period, 61,851 homes were sold across Southampton. Of those transactions, 8,987 were one-bedroom homes, 18,103 had two bedrooms, 27,265 had three bedrooms and 7,496 had four bedrooms or more.
(Southampton – SO14 to SO19).
These figures are based on homes that actually sold. They are not estimates of what the properties are worth today, nor are they current asking prices. They show the average prices paid by buyers across completed transactions since the beginning of 1995.
What type of homes make up the Southampton property market?
The mix of homes sold in Southampton can be compared with the national housing market to show whether the city is weighted more heavily towards smaller properties, mid-range family homes or larger executive houses.
In Southampton, one-bedroom homes represented 14.5% of sales, while the national figure is 7.38%. Two-bedroom homes made up 29.3% of the local market, compared with 25.98% nationally. Three-bedroom homes accounted for 44.1% of sales in Southampton, against the national benchmark of 46.06%. Finally, homes with four bedrooms or more represented 12.1% of Southampton sales, compared with 20.58% nationally.
As you can see, there is quite a difference between the local mix and the national mix.
What have buyers historically paid for their Southampton homes?
Across completed sales since January 1995, the average price paid for a one-bedroom home in Southampton has been £144,757. The average paid for a two-bedroom home has been £184,309, while three-bedroom properties sold for an average of £213,019, and for homes with four bedrooms or more, the average price paid has been £344,029.
Again, these figures should not be read as current valuations.
A home bought in 1995 forms part of the same dataset as one purchased much more recently. The figures instead provide a long-term picture of what buyers have paid for different sizes of property. The more revealing numbers are the gaps between them.
Where is the biggest price jump in the Southampton area?
In Southampton, the average price paid rises by 27.3% when moving from a one-bedroom home to a two-bedroom home. Nationally, the equivalent increase is 25.6%. The jump from two bedrooms to three bedrooms is 15.6% in Southampton, compared with 26.8% across the country. Moving from a three-bedroom home to a property with four bedrooms or more produces an uplift of 61.5% locally, against a national increase of 46.8%.
These figures do not suggest that one type of home offers better or worse value. They simply show how the average prices paid have differed between each rung of the property ladder since January 1995. The gaps/mix reflects the type, location, and quality of homes sold within each bedroom category.
How the Southampton postcode districts compare.
The Southampton average provides the main picture, but the local and surrounding area property market can vary significantly between postcode districts.
- SO14 – 24.8% of sales were one-bedroom homes, 46.2% were two-bedroom, 18.1% were three-bedroom and 10.9% had four bedrooms or more. Average prices paid were £163,471 / £215,446 / £222,518 and £354,777 respectively.
- SO15 – 20.1% of sales were one-bedroom homes, 30.0% were two-bedroom, 35.8% were three-bedroom and 14.2% had four bedrooms or more. Average prices paid were £158,702 / £182,645 / £231,380 and £320,724 respectively.
- SO16 – 8.2% of sales were one-bedroom homes, 24.2% were two-bedroom, 52.3% were three-bedroom and 15.3% had four bedrooms or more. Average prices paid were £139,055 / £176,394 / £210,478 and £385,486 respectively.
- SO17 – 19.1% of sales were one-bedroom homes, 31.1% were two-bedroom, 25.6% were three-bedroom and 24.3% had four bedrooms or more. Average prices paid were £138,676 / £184,475 / £247,280 and £336,466 respectively.
- SO18 – 12.4% of sales were one-bedroom homes, 26.9% were two-bedroom, 52.3% were three-bedroom and 8.4% had four bedrooms or more. Average prices paid were £121,832 / £174,182 / £211,273 and £325,955 respectively.
- SO19 – 11.6% of sales were one-bedroom homes, 26.8% were two-bedroom, 55.7% were three-bedroom and 6.0% had four bedrooms or more. Average prices paid were £129,140 / £174,104 / £199,744 and £292,838 respectively.
The figures show that there is no single Southampton property market.
Different parts of the city contain different mixtures of homes, attract different buyers and create different price jumps between bedroom categories. For Southampton homeowners, this is why broad national headlines and even regional and city-wide averages should always be treated as a starting point rather than the final answer.
The value and saleability of an individual home will depend on its condition, location, style, plot, presentation and the strength of current buyer demand. However, the historic sales data does reveal something valuable. It shows the structure of the Southampton property ladder, where most local transactions take place and, most importantly, where buyers have historically faced the biggest jump when searching for their next home.
Share your thoughts on your story of climbing up the property ladder. Was it worth it? Did it change your life? Would you do it again?
