Rightmove urges agents to prepare for Boxing Day bounce

Rightmove is forecasting a Boxing Day bounce this festive period.

Analysis by the portal suggests that the number of new properties coming to market on Boxing Day has almost tripled since before the pandemic started.

The number of properties listed for sale on Boxing Day by estate agents last year was a record 173% higher than 2019, and 46% higher than 2021.

Buyer demand, measured by the number of buyers sending enquiries to estate agents about homes for sale, also more than tripled from Christmas Day to Boxing Day last year, Rightmove said.

Many future sellers also use the holiday period and start of the new year to consider a move. Last year, the number of people contacting estate agents to value their home between Boxing Day and 1 January was the highest number recorded in a week since early September 2022, and 29% higher than the same period in 2021.

Two of the 20 busiest days on record for future sellers contacting an estate agent to value their home were in January 2023.

Rightmove property expert Tim Bannister said: “We typically see a post-Christmas upturn in buyer activity, with early-bird buyers finishing off their turkey dinners and starting their search for a new home for the new year.

"It’s a key reason why we’re seeing more new sellers come to market on Boxing Day, ready for their properties to be the first seen by prospective new buyers. However, with activity typically increasing from Boxing Day into January, sellers planning to come to market later in January still have time to capitalise on the renewed buyer activity.

“This year’s upturn will be eagerly anticipated by those who are keen to sell, who may have been holding off due to the disorderly mortgage market earlier this year. Many will also be watching the scale of the upturn as an early sign of building momentum as we progress through the winter and into the important spring selling season and year ahead.”