.jpeg?trim=0,117,0,115&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "Why this year’s ‘Boxing Day bounce’ could be the perfect time to find your new home")
Across many parts of the UK, 26 December is associated with turkey curry, visiting relatives and general lazing after the main Christmas get-together. But there is another more unconventional activity that can be hugely popular: searching for a new home.
Known as the ‘Boxing Day bounce’, property websites often record bumper rises in online clicks. At Zoopla for example, Christmas Day is the lowest volume of visitors looking at homes for sale and this increases by nearly 70 per cent the following day.
The growth in traffic then continues, reaching a peak three to four weeks later.
As Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla puts it: “After another day spent with family and friends, and perhaps indulging a little too much, many Brits turn their thoughts to property on Boxing Day, with the new year and the goals it brings on the horizon. Our data shows a real mix of browsers.”
What’s more, new research shared with The Independent by mortgage broker Alexander Hall suggests consumers have market conditions that could make Boxing Day 2025 a favourable time to start searching for a property.
A variety of choice
The company found borrowers entering the market today are benefitting from greater choice, lower rates, and reduced monthly costs compared to last Christmas.
That, coupled with the recent Bank of England interest rate cut to 3.75 per cent giving some momentum to the market, could offer comfort to would-be buyers unsure whether 2026 is a sensible time to buy a home.
Alexander Hall’s analysis shows mortgage product availability and the rates on offer have improved across all segments of the market when compared to last Christmas.
As the table below shows, as of 5 December the number of mortgage products have climbed as much as 68 per cent in one category, compared with 12 months prior.
During the same period the average mortgage rate for buy-to-let investors is 0.77 per cent lower, down 0.6 per cent for first-time purchasers, the average rate for home movers has fallen 0.42 per cent and for those remortgaging by 0.34 per cent.
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Richard Merrett, managing director of Alexander Hall, says product availability has benefited from the Bank of England holding interest rates in recent months which has brought much-needed stability and allowed both lenders and borrowers to plan with greater confidence.
He says: “While the Autumn Budget may have disappointed buyers hoping for direct support, the reality is that market conditions this Christmas are considerably more favourable than they were a year ago.”
Merrett adds: “What’s more, we’re now seeing clear affordability improvements from an income-to-lending perspective. Many major lenders have strengthened their affordability assessments over recent months, allowing borrowers to access higher loan amounts than were possible a year ago.”
Busy Boxing Day for property websites
The main new update announced in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget was a ‘mansion tax’ impacting residential properties in England worth £2m or more.
But there was no changes around stamp duty reform for home buying, much to the disappointment of many would-be buyers.
Earlier this month property website Rightmove said it was anticipating a bigger-than-usual Boxing Day bounce, as many of those who paused plans due to Budget uncertainty join the traditional start of the busier home-moving season. The firm’s survey of over 10,000 potential movers found that nearly one in five were waiting for the outcome of the Budget to resume their moving plans.
Angela Kerr, director at property advice website HomeOwners Alliance, says factors that make next year look like a good year to move include house prices being relatively stable and mortgage rates edging lower.
Hurdles are still a headache
There remain a number of obstacles that make residential purchases difficult. Kerr comments: “The biggest deterrent for many households remains stamp duty. Our 2025 HomeOwners Survey found 24 per cent of UK homeowners cited stamp duty as a barrier to moving in the past two years.”
Jeremy Leaf, a north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, says the signs for a Boxing Day bounce are looking good – however his experience is that while the quantity of responses may increase at that time of year, the quality does not always follow.
“It takes a while for us to really appreciate how serious activity is likely to be over the next few months,” he said.
“I wouldn’t recommend buyers necessarily jumping in and making decisions but to carefully consider what is available and how strong their position is…. Interest rates may come down a little further but they tend to do so for a reason – in order to stimulate the economy amid concerns about growth and activity – so be very careful as to what you can afford.”
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