With a softer-than-anticipated Autumn Budget, buyers are again poised to flood the market this Boxing Day.
The ‘Boxing Day Rush’ has become something of an unexpected tradition in recent years, with everybody from established industry portals such as Rightmove to independent agents consistently reporting a surge in buyer activity from Boxing Day into the New Year.
Christmas had previously been thought of as a time where homebuyer interest would seasonally decline; however, with traffic to Edward Mellor almost doubling between Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2024 (1), it’s clear that homemovers are looking to the New Year with an eye to buy.
Furthermore, this trend looks set to become a regular fixture, with a 20% increase in enquires between 2023 and 2024, according to Rightmove. (2)
A combination of technology, market resilience, and economic policy has all contributed to a rush in Christmas and New Year buyer interest in recent years.
From a technological standpoint, it’s never been easier for potential buyers to view and register their interest in promising properties.
An easily accessible market means that simple curiosity is contributing to an annual rush in Boxing Day traffic – great news for sellers looking to reach a wide audience.
Recent speculation around what the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, would announce in the Autumn Budget sent waves of anxiety through the economy, resulting in a knock-on effect for the housing market.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) reported a further slowdown in New Buyer Enquiries during its UK Residential Market Survey for October 2025, as buyers seemingly waited to see what would emerge from the Budget. (3)
However, it’s worth noting that the North West was again an exception to this rule, with a continued healthy uptick in buyer interest.
Rumours around a possible increase in Income Tax and National Insurance were eventually quelled by the Chancellor, but uncertainty around potential changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) meant that both buyers and sellers were more hesitant to engage with the property market in the short term.
However, the most relevant of the Chancellor’s announcements for the property market primarily focused on a freeze on current Income Tax and National Insurance thresholds, an increase in tax rates for dividends, property and savings income, and the introduction of the so-called ‘Mansion Tax.’
These announcements will be most keenly felt by those with properties above the £2 million threshold and landlords, rather than the majority of those buying and selling property over the coming months.
Indeed, many homemovers will be breathing a sigh of relief, as both SDLT and CGT rates have remained unchanged from the current level set in April 2025.
The news that it won’t cost more for vendors to move home in 2026 comes just in time for the ‘Boxing Day Rush’, where eager buyers begin to look for their next home.
For sellers, the clarity set by the budget removes a significant hurdle in the sale of their property.
Those thinking of selling in 2026 will be incentivised to do so, meaning that now is the time to secure an accurate property valuation and list homes for sale to take advantage of an engaged market.
To book a free, zero-obligation property valuation, contact our friendly, professional team using the link below. We’ll help you to understand the true value of your home and offer useful advice on marketing and preparing your property for sale.
Yes! If you’re thinking of moving in 2026, now is the time to list your property to ensure that your home is seen by an invested and active audience.
The housing market has remained impressively resilient in recent years, with house prices remaining relatively robust and buyers continuing to approach the market.
Although the latter months of 2025 have seen a slowdown in market activity, while buyers waited to learn the impact of the Autumn Budget, it appears that the appetite for property remains strong.
According to HMRC (4), the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in September 2025 is 95,980, 4% higher than September 2024 and 1% higher than August 2025.
This is particularly true across the North West, which has continued to perform well as something of a property powerhouse, with high demand for property and good relative house price growth.
Therefore, sellers can once again expect to see high levels of interest in property between Boxing Day, the New Year and beyond.
Whether you are buying or selling during the New Year, Edward Mellor Estate Agents are on hand to help you at every stage of your property journey.
We’ve been helping people across the North West to buy and sell homes for over 40 years, and our friendly local branches can provide expertise that you simply won’t find anywhere else.
Edward Mellor also owns one of the North West’s most successful auction houses, meaning that we can help vendors to sell any property in any condition, with speed and certainty.
Whatever your property needs for the New Year, we’re here with the best local advice. To get your property journey moving, contact your nearest branch today.
(1) – Google Analytics: Edward Mellor visitors from Christmas Day to Boxing Day 2024.
(2) – Record-breaking Boxing Day Bounce for sellers and home-hunters, Rightmove, December 2024
(3) – Housing market stalls as pre-budget anxieties hit buyer confidence, November 2025
(4) – HMRC – UK monthly property transactions commentary
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