Research released by Lloyds Bank showed property activity in the East Midlands was 26% higher in 2014 compared to the previous year.
The West Midlands (25%) and the North West (25%) rounded out the top three while London witnessed the smallest activity boost. Property sales in the capital increased by 11%, far slower than all other regions.
The report said this figure reflected a slowdown in London’s property market from the summer onwards.
The Northamptonshire town of Daventry saw the biggest rise in home sales during the year, with activity growing 56%.
The East Midlands town of Alfreton saw activity increase by 53% while Pudsey in West Yorkshire completed the top three with a 51% uptick.
The commuter town of Amersham in Buckinghamshire saw the biggest drop in sales over this period. It recorded an 11% decline between the first 10 months of 2013 and the same period in the following year.
The report highlighted Ealing as the worst performing London borough following a 10% decline. All five areas with the biggest slumps in activity were recorded in London and its surrounding areas.
Andy Hulme, mortgages director at Lloyds Bank, said: “The recovery in the housing market continued in 2014 with sales rising further in almost all areas of the country. Low interest rates, improvements in the UK economy and government schemes, such as Help to Buy, all appear to have contributed to the rise in home sales.
“Despite these improvements, sales both nationally and regionally are still significantly below their pre-recession levels.
“There is a clear north versus south pattern to the housing market recovery with sales closer to their 2007 levels in the south. Indeed, a small number of towns recorded higher sales last year than seven years earlier, but sales remained much lower than 2007 levels in most areas.”
