There are signs of the traditional property market spring bounce, according to the estate agency membership and training body Propertymark. The organisation’s latest Housing Insight Report suggests an increase in the number of viewings and listings, with resilience in sales meaning there are “encouraging signs across the housing market.”
Propertymark members reported both supply and demand indicators were moving in a positive direction. On the supply side the average number of appraisals conducted by branches remained at 23, while the number of properties for sale through branches marginally increased to an average of 41, driven by a slight increase in the number of properties listed – 10.1 per member branch across March 2026.
On the demand side agents reported the average number of new prospective buyers registered per member branch showed a slight increase during March 2026, with an average of 78, and the average number of viewings per available property in March 2026 jumped compared to the previous month, to an average of 2.8 viewings.
Although sales volumes are down on the same time last year, the first quarter of 2026 has seen a steady increase in property sales with similar volumes to 2024 with March agreed sales hitting 8.14 per member branch.
“While the market was far from booming, the latest figures suggest there was still a healthy level of determination from buyers and renters who needed to move,” said MoveiQ founder Phil Spencer. “We saw sales agreed and viewing numbers pick up during March, showing that many consumers were becoming more pragmatic about current mortgage rates and adjusting expectations accordingly.
“For movers, realism remained the key theme. Sellers who priced sensibly were continuing to attract interest, while buyers were understandably taking more time to weigh up affordability and value for money. The good news was that increased stock levels were giving people more options and reducing some of the intensity we saw during previous years.”
The report chimes with Rightmove’s May House Price Index which shows the number of sales agreed 4% below last year (2% up on the same period in 2024), at a time when global uncertainty and resulting cost-of-living pressures is well documented, comparing favourably to 12 months ago when mortgage rates were significantly lower. A similar story is playing out in the first time buyer market where sales volumes are also 4% down on 12 months ago, but where lenders continue, for now, to be prepared to lend at high loan to value ratios. This relative stability suggests that many movers are continuing with their plans where affordability allows, even in a period of greater global uncertainty, Rightmove said.
Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove, said: “This indicates that first-time buyers have not yet been disproportionately impacted by recent mortgage rate rises, despite being more reliant on borrowing than other parts of the market.
“What’s encouraging is how resilient activity has remained, even among first‑time buyers, despite the ongoing pressures of higher living costs and mortgage rates. The number of sales agreed in the first-time buyer sector is performing better than expected and is broadly tracking the wider market. Prices in the typical first-time-buyer sector are lower than a year ago, helping to support affordability. It’s a healthy dynamic that activity is continuing not because buyers are overstretching, but because prices are adjusting to levels that some would-be buyers can realistically afford.”
The steady increase in the number of agents reporting average time from offer acceptance to exchanging contracts was greater that 17 weeks arrested slightly in March, with just under 1/3 (33.1%) saying they had “witnessed most sales agreed taking over 17 weeks to complete from the point of acceptance”.
Nathan Emerson, Propertymark CEO, concluded: “March was a month that delivered some encouraging signs across the housing market, with sales agreed, buyer registrations and viewing activity all moving in a positive direction as we entered the traditionally busier spring period. Although inflation remained above target and global economic pressures continued to influence sentiment, we saw many buyers adapting to current borrowing conditions and proceeding where pricing expectations were realistic.
“We also saw improved levels of stock entering the market, which was helping to provide consumers with greater choice and creating a more balanced environment in some areas. However, affordability pressures continued to weigh heavily for many households, particularly as mortgage rates remained sensitive to wider economic events.”
