The government figures show that this was 28% higher than February 2024 and 13% higher than January 2025, when there were 95,790 home sales.
Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops, said: “The start of 2025 was turbo charged by the encroaching changes to Stamp Duty rates as buyers looked to take advantage of the savings on offer. This was particularly prevalent across London and the South East where buyers could make the most savings.
“Buyers are being presented with the greatest choice of properties on the market since the pandemic – this buzz in activity is already becoming apparent across the Jackson-Stops network, with a 70% rise in completions in February 2025 compared to a year ago. Similarly, buyer interest is also increasing, with 59% of branches reporting increased enquiries in the past month.”
Andrew Lloyd, managing director at Search Acumen, added: “February’s uptick in activity highlights the continued recovery of the UK real estate market, with the impending Stamp Duty deadline acting as a significant driver for increased transactions.
“This momentum was bolstered by a slight loosening of monetary conditions in February’s interest rate decision, even if the sector would have preferred for this trend to continue into this month.
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“A healthy property market depends on translating growing investor confidence into a steady, sustained flow of transactions.”
