Property portal Rightmove said it is expecting a bigger than usual Boxing Day bounce this year, as those who paused moving plans due to the much-anticipated autumn budget decide to kick-start their home moves in 2026.
As many as one in five home movers said they had been waiting for the outcome of the budget before resuming their home moving plans, according to a survey of 10,000 potential movers by Rightmove. The portal added that, while the usual festive slowdown had delayed a ‘widespread’ bounce back in the aftermath of the budget, “many will be re-engaged by the number of new listings that are being held back ready for launch on or soon after Boxing Day.”
Boxing Day is traditionally the busiest day of the year for Rightmove: in 2024, Boxing Day was its busiest ever day for new seller activity, with a record number of new properties listed for sale by agents. The number of new properties coming to the market for sale last year was 26% higher than Boxing Day 2023, when the previous record was set.
Rightmove’s positivity comes as its latest House Price Index suggests new seller asking prices have fallen £6,695 (down 1.8%) to £358,138. The larger than usual drop for December has resulted in prices 0.6% (£2,059) lower at the end of 2025 than in 2024.
In a year of two halves, the first six months of 2025 saw the number of new sellers coming to market 9% up on the same period in 2024. Uncertainty caused by rumours of changes to stamp duty and the introduction of a mansion tax in November’s budget – from as early as August – contributed to more subdued activity and pricing in the second half of the year, when new sellers fell to 4% lower than the same period in 2024.
Buyer demand was 3% ahead of 2024 across the first half of the year, but 6% behind in the second half. Overall, the year has ended 3% up in sales agreed compared to the previous year.
Buyer affordability is improving, however. Two-year fixed mortgage rates are down from an average of 5.08% this time last year to 4.33% this year. House prices cost less than they did 12 months, with a combination of low inflation, average wage increases and relaxed lending criteria all improving affordability.
Rightmove predicts a positive start to 2026, boosted by an uplift in the availability of houses on the market.
Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove, said:
“Lower price growth supported buyer affordability and drove activity in the first half of the year, even after the April stamp duty deadline in England. In the second half of 2025, uncertainty caused by rumours of property tax changes in November’s Budget swirled, some from as early as August. This had an impact on pricing and activity, as sellers tried to entice nervous buyers.
“With market conditions supporting higher levels of activity , and a hopefully more certain economic environment, we forecast a better year for price growth in 2026 with a strong rebound in activity to kick start the year. However, with buyer choice remaining high, sellers will still need to come to the market at tempting prices to attract attention and do all that they can to ensure that their property is presented as well as possible. A more stable 2026 would be good for buyer confidence, which in turn would further boost activity levels, leading to a modest price increase.”
Matt Smith, Rightmove’s mortgage expert, said an expected Bank of England interest rate cut at the end of the year combined with an ongoing mortgage rate battle would be good for market confidence. He explained:
“The markets are very much expecting December’s cut to go ahead, and lenders have shown their hand early, cutting rates and competing to secure end-of-year business. The headline is that home-movers will be entering 2026 looking at cheaper average mortgage rates than they were at the beginning of 2025, helping affordability. Those who are seeing slightly lower house prices in their area compared to last year and may have also had an end-of-year pay rise, will see their affordability improved further. Many home-movers will also see that the amount that they can borrow has increased, as lender have been rolling out the Loan-To-Income and stress rate changes that were permitted by the regulator earlier this year.”
