New figures have revealed the flat market is bucking the trend with surging demand pushing up sales and prices while house sales fall year-on-year.
The latest Q2 2026 report from ASPC and the University of Aberdeen shows flat sales reached 475, up 5.3% on the same quarter last year, while detached and semi-detached sales fell 4.8% and 6.1% on the same metric.
Property prices also nudged up 0.7% year-on-year.
In Aberdeen, the average flat price rose from £114,770 to £116,800, the average semi-detached price rose from £185,072 to £190,802, and the average detached house price rose from £323,585 to £327,346.
ASPC Chairman John MacRae said: "The university report’s 3 indices show a mildly encouraging picture of our local area housing market for the second quarter of 2026. The 3 price indices all show some positive improvement – although the realistic view may be contained in the annualised 5 year price index.
"My own, intuitively based view is that, despite seasonal fluctuations, the local market is coping reasonably well in difficult times. The economic background, the political atmosphere, the international news, all tend towards a resultant caution in the market.
"That picture – steady but cautious – is best illustrated by Figure 3 in the report."
Figure 3 indicates the relative transaction and listing activity on the ASPC platform, with activity calculated by looking at transactions as a share of all dwellings listed for sale on ASPC.
In Q2 this year, that share was 29.87%, up from 24.41% in Q1 and 27.03% in Q2 of last year.
On average, properties sold for fractionally under the asking price.
Mr MacRae continued: "In my view, that demonstrates a generally consistent pattern of price behaviour over the last five years, reflecting a market grounded in common sense, where values remain relatively stable and buyers are not pressured to pay the premiums seen in some other parts of the country. In that respect, we are fortunate that local property prices continue to be driven by underlying value and affordability.
"Given all that, the figures are relatively reassuring. The second quarter of each year is, normally, the most active, so that needs to be borne in mind.
"Our first quarter was a little more subdued, year-on-year, due mainly to a prolonged spell of miserable weather, so there may be a small element of catch up in the second quarter figures.
"Overall, however, comparing year-on-year, the picture that emerges is a market holding steady, broadly speaking, despite difficult surrounding economic conditions."
Sales in the second quarter of 2026 rose significantly in comparison to Q1, with 1,525 sales representing a 35.3% increase.
Broken down into property type, flat sales rose 23.7%, semi-detached houses 39.5% and detached houses 43.9%.