Somebody has told you a number. A colleague said 10%. A forum said 20%. Your mum's friend said everything goes for silly money. Here is what the published record actually shows in 2026, and why any single number is wrong for most of Scotland, most of the time.
The published answer, by area
| Area | % of Home Report valuation achieved | Source |
|---|---|---|
| EH12 (Edinburgh west) | ~103.2% | ESPC, Q1 2026 |
| West Fife & Kinross (houses) | 102.9% | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| Kelso | ~102.5% | ESPC, 2026 |
| Edinburgh (city average) | 101.5% | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| Region-wide average | 101.2% | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| Midlothian | 100.2% (only 67.2% reached valuation) | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| Scottish Borders | ~100% | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| East Fife | 98.5% | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| West Lothian (flats) | 95.0% | ESPC, Feb–Apr 2026 |
| Aberdeen (family suburbs) | 1.6–2.5% below valuation | ASPC analysis, 2024–25 |
| Glasgow | No published series (see our Glasgow guide) | N/A |
Quoted from publicly published reports, as dated. Note these are % of Home Report valuation, a different measure from % over the advertised offers-over price (see the two-numbers guide).
Read that table again. The honest range for "how much over the Home Report?" in 2026 runs from "5% under" to "3% or more over" at area level. Street-level results scatter far wider around those averages. The 10–20% folklore comes from the 2021–22 boom and from people quoting % over the deliberately-low asking figure, not the valuation.
The number that actually matters: your cash-over-valuation ceiling
Your lender sizes your mortgage on the Home Report valuation. Every pound you bid above the valuation is a pound of your own cash, stacked on top of your deposit. So the real question isn't "what percentage?" It's this:
"How many pounds above the valuation am I willing and able to pay, and does the local evidence justify it?" Decide that number from the recent results of comparable homes nearby, when you're calm, before any closing date is announced. Then it's a ceiling, not a starting bid.
Check your area, free
The latest published headline figure. No email required.Area averages are the start, not the answer. We research the recent results for homes like yours, on streets like yours.
Get your report for £15A sane process for landing on your number
- Read the Home Report: valuation, condition ratings, and the report date (over 12 weeks old may need refreshing for your lender).
- Gather the local evidence: what did comparable homes nearby sell for versus their advertised prices and valuations, in the last 6–12 months? This is public information: sold prices via Registers of Scotland records, listing history where traceable. (It's also exactly what we research for £15.)
- Read the competition: is this property heading for a closing date? How many similar homes are for sale nearby right now? Scarcity, not the asking price, drives premiums.
- Set your pounds-over-valuation ceiling from the evidence and your cash reality.
- Bid an odd number (£252,750 beats the crowd at £250,000) up to your ceiling, never past it.
When the answer is "don't offer over at all"
In East Fife, much of Aberdeen, and for West Lothian flats, the published data says typical sales complete below valuation. If the property you're watching has been listed for weeks with no closing date, the "offers over" label is aspiration, not instruction. Offers at or under the advertised figure are made, and accepted, every week in Scotland. More than a quarter of ESPC-region homes sold below their Home Report valuation this spring.
Related reading: the complete offers-over guide · offers over vs the Home Report valuation · closing dates explained