Property searches hit new Boxing Day record as boom continues

Zoopla saw a record 70.5 per cent increase in traffic on Boxing Day as signs suggest the pre-Christmas boom is set to continue into the New Year and beyond.

This year’s Boxing Day bounce compares to a 61 per cent upsurge in traffic recorded on Boxing Day 2019. 

Across the whole month of December 2020 - up to the end of the 26th - Zoopla has enjoyed a 33 per cent increase in searches for property compared to December 2019.

“Crucially, the Boxing Day bounce is not a one-off phenomenon; instead, it marks the start of the New Year uptick in traffic” claims Tom Parker, insurer spokesperson for the portal.

“This is set to intensify in January given the now imminent end to the stamp duty holiday, which is set to bring more hungry buyers into the market, keen to find and complete on their dream home before the stamp duty deadline expires at the end of March” he adds.

Zoopla says it saw the busiest run up to Christmas for over a decade with the market has recorded sales agreed on £62 billion more homes in 2020 than in 2019, with 100,000 sales expected to spill over from the last quarter of the old year into 2021. 

Parker continues: “The property market has gone from strength to strength this year in the wake of Covid and the various lockdown restrictions, and it’s great to see this continue through to Boxing Day and hopefully beyond.

“With more people spending more time at home this festive season, many are realising that their home falls short when it comes to delivering that Christmas magic - perhaps because the space is too small, the location is lacking or it is too far from loved ones.”