Data, measured 14 September 2026, from the PropDetect analysed base
Which strategy stacks where
Of 3,021 UK listings analysed with at least 30 matched sold comparables, 534 stack, 17.7%. Where they do, the flip is the winning strategy for 289, buy refurbish refinance for 159, a plain hold for 80, and short let or social housing for 6. The split is not the same everywhere. In the North East the flip wins 81 of 127, 64% of the stacking deals and a hold wins 6. In Scotland the refinance wins 84 of 197, 43%, ahead of the flip.
Two figures sit beside the strategy split because they explain it. Gross yield at asking, rent over price before any cost, runs at a median 8.7% across the 2,834 listings with a modelled rent. The flip margin at asking runs at a median -15.3% across 2,643: the typical listing loses money as a flip at the price on the portal, and 5.9% clear a 20% margin there. Deals are made at the offer. Measured 14 September 2026.
Table 1: by region
Region from the postcode area. Wins are counted among the stacking deals in that region. Gross yield and flip margin are medians across the listings in that region that carry the figure, and the count follows each one. Regions with fewer than 50 listings are below the table; the East of England (10 listings) is not shown.
| Region | Listings analysed | Stack, of those listings | Winning strategy among the stacking deals: flip / refinance / hold / other | Median gross yield at asking (listings with a rent) | Median flip margin at asking (listings with a margin) | Share clearing 20% at asking | Median asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All regions | 3,021 | 534, 17.7% | 289 / 159 / 80 / 6 | 8.7% (2,834) | -15.3% (2,643) | 5.9% | £125,000 |
| Scotland | 1,054 | 197, 18.7% | 74 / 84 / 35 / 4 | 10.7% (867) | -17.5% (870) | 4.6% | £95,000 |
| South East | 573 | 27, 4.7% | 21 / 2 / 4 / 0 | 5.7% (573) | -14.4% (560) | 2.0% | £350,000 |
| North East | 568 | 127, 22.4% | 81 / 40 / 6 / 0 | 9.4% (568) | -16.2% (487) | 8.0% | £110,000 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 277 | 61, 22.0% | 34 / 14 / 12 / 1 | 9.5% (277) | -14.3% (228) | 7.5% | £105,000 |
| West Midlands | 234 | 41, 17.5% | 27 / 9 / 5 / 0 | 8.0% (234) | -14.1% (218) | 6.9% | £160,000 |
| East Midlands | 99 | 19, 19.2% | 11 / 1 / 7 / 0 | 8.3% (99) | -15.6% (89) | 7.9% | £145,000 |
| North West | 95 | 19, 20.0% | 12 / 4 / 3 / 0 | 8.1% (95) | -16.8% (83) | 8.4% | £145,000 |
| South West | 51 | 15, 29.4% | 14 / 0 / 0 / 1 | 7.4% (51) | -3.7% (46) | 19.6% | £180,000 |
Too small to rely on: Wales (30 listings, 12 stack: flip 4, refinance 2, hold 6; gross yield 9.4%, flip margin -8.2%); London (30 listings, 12 stack: flip 9, refinance 2, hold 1; gross yield 6.8%, flip margin -1.4%). Not shown: East of England (10 listings).
What the table says
- The hold almost never wins where prices are high. The South East stacks 4.7% of 573 listings on a median gross yield of 5.7%, and when a deal there works it is a flip 21 times out of 27. A hold wins 4.
- Scotland is the refinance region. A median asking of £95,000 and a gross yield of 10.7% across 867 listings mean the refinance case survives the costs that kill it elsewhere: 84 of 197 stacking deals, against 74 flips.
- The North East is the flip region. 81 of 127 stacking deals, the highest flip share of any region over 50 listings, on a median asking of £110,000.
- At asking, the flip loses in every region. The median flip margin at asking is negative in all of them, from -3.7% in the South West (46 listings) to -17.5% in Scotland (870). The share clearing 20% at asking is under 10% everywhere with 50 or more listings except the South West at 19.6% on 46.
How these figures are produced
Every analysed property is modelled under each strategy with the refurbishment, purchase costs, finance and exit counted. A deal stacks when at least one strategy clears the thresholds in the deal methodology, and the winning strategy is the one the verdict ranks first. Gross yield is the modelled monthly rent, from matched rental comparables, times twelve over the asking price. Flip margin is profit as a share of the post-refurbishment value with purchase at asking. Region is the postcode area's region.
How the numbers behind this page are produced, and what the method can and cannot see: does AI property valuation actually work, and the measured back-tests on the accuracy page.
What this data does not say
- These are the properties investors chose to analyse. Scotland and the North East are over-represented because that is where PropDetect users look; the stack rates describe that stock, not each region's market.
- A winning strategy is the model's ranking under its own thresholds and default finance. An investor with cheaper money or a different exit will rank some of these differently.
- Gross yield at asking is before every cost. It is printed because it explains the strategy split, not as a return.
- Figures are as of 14 September 2026 and are refreshed from the committed query, never edited by hand.
One limit applies to every figure on this page: the properties were chosen by PropDetect users to analyse, so this is a sample of investor interest, not a survey of the UK market. Where our users search shapes what the numbers can say.
Common questions
Which property strategy makes the most money in the UK?
The one the numbers pick for that property, and it changes by region. Across 3,021 listings PropDetect has analysed with at least 30 matched sold comparables, 534 stack. Where they do, the flip is the winning strategy for 289, buy refurbish refinance for 159, a plain buy to let hold for 80, and short let or social housing for 6. In the North East the flip wins 81 of 127, 64% of the stacking deals; in Scotland the refinance wins 84 of 197, 43% and the flip 74 of 197, 38%. Measured 14 September 2026.
Where in the UK do property deals stack most often?
Among regions with at least 50 analysed listings, the North East (22.4% of 568) and Yorkshire and The Humber (22% of 277) stack most often and the South East least (4.7% of 573). Wales and London show 40% and 40% on 30 listings each, too few to rely on. These are the properties investors chose to analyse, not a survey of each region's market.
What gross yield does a UK buy to let make?
At asking price, with the rent modelled from matched rental comparables, the median gross yield across 2,834 analysed listings is 8.7%. Scotland's median is 10.7% across 867 listings and the South East's 5.7% across 573. Gross yield is rent over price before any cost, and it is why a plain hold wins so rarely once costs and finance are counted.
Can you make money flipping property at the asking price?
Rarely. Across 2,643 analysed listings, the median flip margin with purchase at asking is -15.3% of the post-refurbishment value, and 5.9% of listings clear a 20% margin at asking. The stacking deals are made at the offer, not the asking price; the report solves the price at which each one works.
What does it mean for a strategy to win?
Every analysed property is modelled under each strategy PropDetect supports: flip, buy refurbish refinance, buy to let hold, and where the property suits it, short let and social housing. A deal stacks when at least one clears the profitability thresholds set out in the methodology after refurbishment, purchase costs, finance and exit; the winning strategy is the one the verdict engine ranks first for that property.
More from the same base
- What a refurb actually costs, room by room
- Refurb cost by UK region, per square foot
- How much below-market stock is actually out there
- Where the below-market stock actually is
- Does AI property valuation actually work
- Asking price per square foot against what actually sold
- What the listing photographs reveal, room by room
- Auction guide prices against sold comparables
- See the output on a real analysed property, Bolton Road, Bradford, or browse every published example analysis, with the room schedule and the comparable sales shown.
Which strategy wins for one address is a question about that address. Run your own property through PropDetect and the same figures arrive for that address in about three minutes. No card needed for the first analyses.