DREAMY countryside cottages have lost their sparkle with buyers, and it means bargain hunters could be in for a treat.
New research from property website Zoopla shows interest in cottages has plunged by a third since 2023, sending prices tumbling in some of Britain’s most picturesque corners.
The so-called “cottagecore” craze, fuelled by social media and the pandemic-era desire for rural escapes, appears to be firmly over.
Zoopla says buyer interest in cottages, measured by views per listing, has fallen 32% compared with the first half of 2023.
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Sales agreed on cottages have dropped 13% in the first six months of this year alone, while the number of cottages up for sale has fallen 9%.
The average cottage now costs £321,641, a fall of 0.3% compared with last year.
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That is in stark contrast to the wider property market, where average house prices have risen by 1.3% annually.
Traditional cottage hotspots such as Devon, Cornwall, the Cotswolds and the Isle of Wight have been hit hardest.
Zoopla analysed 24 popular second-home areas and found cottage values had fallen in 18 of them.
Prices in these areas dropped by an average of 1.4%, more than three times the 0.4% fall seen across all homes in the same postcodes.
North Devon has seen the steepest decline, with average cottage values crashing 6.1% year on year, down from £350,494 to £329,118.
Even Cornwall, the UK’s biggest market for character cottages, has seen values slip 1.3%, from £302,203 to £298,182.
Other areas seeing big falls include Ceredigion in Wales, down 6%, and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire, down 5.7%.
The Isle of Wight has seen prices fall 5.1%, while the Cotswolds are down 4.2%.
Richard Donnell, executive director of research at Zoopla, said cottages in scenic areas had enjoyed strong demand in recent years but that the picture had now changed.
He said: “Higher mortgage rates, extra taxes for second home owners explains why buyer interest in cottages is down by a third since 2023.”
He added: “Fewer sales and weaker demand is filtering into lower prices for cottages.”
Mr Donnell said the shift is good news for those hoping to snap up a rural retreat.
He said: “If you’re a buyer searching for a cottage in Wales, Cornwall or the Lake District, the balance of power has shifted your way.”
He added: “Competition has eased and it’s more of a buyers market.”
CRASHING COTTAGE PRICES
Here are the areas where average cottage values have fallen the most over the past year, according to Zoopla, showing the average cottage value in June 2026 and the annual price fall:
North Devon: £329,118 – down 6.1%
Ceredigion: £256,761 – down 6%
East Lindsey: £259,479 – down 5.7%
Isle of Wight: £349,004 – down 5.1%
Cotswold: £425,474 – down 4.2%
East Devon: £360,109 – down 3.9%
South Lakeland: £298,434 – down 3.8%
Dorset: £348,213 – down 3.3%
Torbay: £246,711 – down 3.2%
East Suffolk: £324,610 – down 2%
