February and March best months to sell

Properties listed in the first quarter of the year have the highest completion rate with 66% of properties listed in February or March going on to sell; closely followed by April and January. 

The data comes from property portal Rightmove who also looked at the speed of sale going back to 2012 (excluding 202 because of the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic) which showed properties listed in January and February find a buyer quickest on average, at 51 days, followed by March and April at 52 days.

The research comes following prediction by the portal there will be 1.15m home moves in 2025; and listings and enquiries from potential buyers are both up at the start of 2025. Rightmove say the number of potential buyers contacting agents about homes for sale is up by 8% compared with the same period last year, and the number of sales agreed is up by 15% year on year.

“These insights should make for encouraging reading for anyone thinking of listing their home for sale soon, as well as anyone who has already come to market this year. The Spring Selling season is traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year for agents, and the signs of buyer activity we’ve been seeing are setting the scene for a positive one this year.”

said Steve Pimblett, Chief Data Officer at Rightmove. 

April sees the end of the higher rate of relief for first time buyers which may be influencing these numbers suggest estate agency membership body Propertymark

“2025 is defying usual seasonal trends as we see a spike in activity across the board. People will likely be pushing to complete before rises in Stamp Duty commence in April across England and Northern Ireland

Toby Leek, NAEA Propertymark President, comments

“however, anyone who hasn’t already started the home buying and selling process may find it very difficult to do so as the average time taken to complete on a property stands at around 15 weeks.”

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