Manchester has continued to grow in demand when it comes to property purchasers and investors over the past few years, and this is not set to change as we go into 2026, with Rightmove reporting that Manchester is one of the UK’s most searched for locations.
In Rightmove’s data, Manchester came out as the second most searched UK city in 2025, coming second only to London. Such a high amount of interest for a city that is not the capital, and that is in the Northwest, demonstrates Manchester’s continuous growth as a location of note in the UK.
The data also suggests that ‘momentum in the housing market in 2026 will come from areas where affordability is not overstretched, and demand is strong enough to ensure homes are selling without the need for large reductions’, which also resonates with Manchester as a location.
Such a continuously strong demand around Manchester means great things for property jobs in Manchester as more people look to invest in the city, but also for architecture jobs in Manchester too as the city will have to strive to keep up with the rising interest.
Another key city in the Northwest, Liverpool, took the 9th spot in the top ten when it came to the most searched locations for 2025.
Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s Property Expert, states that ‘with billions of minutes spent on Rightmove each year, we have a unique window into the nation’s passion of property.’ The fact that users are actively engaging with locations in this space before they ever move to make an offer also gives early access to these intent indicators for purchase.
Property search engine Zoopla has also released some interesting data recently, looking at which markets are best positioned to perform strongly in 2026. This data demonstrates more success in the Northwest, with Wigan being ranked as the top hotspot in England.
Zoopla utilise data points such as affordability, the number of properties on the market, and much more to determine their rankings across 120 different UK postcode areas to highlight which area is likely to generate the strongest results in 2026.
The ranking was dominated by locations in Scotland, but Wigan came out as the only exception in the UK. This once again presents potential opportunities for property and architecture jobs in the Northwest.
Richard Donnell, Zoopla’s Executive Director, states ‘whether you’re buying or selling, local housing market conditions matter more than ever when making housing decisions in 2026.’ He also added that he ‘expects to see price growth be slower, particularly across parts of southern England and London’ which once again may then have a domino impact on the Northwest.
It is no secret that Manchester has continued to go from strength to strength as a property hotspot in the past few years, but the continuous growth in interest is positive to see. It will be interesting to see if the city can sustain this momentum as we move through 2026, and if demand will rise even higher.
