The number of new listings on 26th December has tripled since before the pandemic.
According to Rightmove the number of homes being listed by estate agents on Boxing Day has risen by 173 per cent since pre-pandemic 2019.
The property portal noted that, last year, a record number of new sellers came to market on Boxing Day, 46 per cent higher than in 2021.
Buyer boost
It added that sellers who list on Boxing Day are in a good position to make the most of a sharp bounce in buyer activity.
The number of buyers sending enquiries to estate agents about homes for sale more than tripled, rising 250 per cent, from the Christmas Day lull to Boxing Day.
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 1st January was the highest number recorded in a week since early September 2022, and 29 per cent higher than the same period in 2021.
In fact, two of the 20 busiest days on record for future sellers contacting an estate agent to value their home were in January 2023.
Rightmove’s 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.”
