NEW research suggests that the time it takes to buy a home in the UK has increased by 23 per cent since January 2016, and uncertainty over Brexit may have contributed to the change.

Research carried out at the beginning of 2016 shows that the average buyer took 53 minutes during the viewing process to decide to if a house was the one for them, with 53 per cent deciding after two viewings.

The latest study by Emoov shows that buyers are now taking 23 per cent longer when viewing before committing to a sale at 65 minutes. This amounts to 27 minutes during each viewing returning for an average of 2.4 viewings.

Buyers in Northern Ireland take the longest at 78 minutes, followed by the North West at 77 minutes and East Anglia at 70 minutes while the shortest time is in Scotland where it is 55 minutes, the only part of the country where it takes under an hour.

While the majority, 56 per cent, still take just two viewings before submitting an offer, 27 per cent of those asked viewed three times, eight per cent returned for a fourth and just one per cent needed more than four viewings. Some seven per cent of those asked said they would submit an offer after just one viewing.

Russell Quirk, Emoov chief executive officer, said: “Many are understandably taking that little while longer to ensure it’s the right house for them before making a commitment and this has pushed up the average time to buy since the Brexit vote.”