Why this year’s ‘Boxing Day bounce’ could be the perfect time to find your new home
.jpeg?trim=0,117,0,115&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800&w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "Why this year’s ‘Boxing Day bounce’ could be the perfect time to find your new home")
In many parts of the UK, 26 December is associated with turkey curry, visiting relatives and general laziness following a Christmas get-together. But there is another, more unusual activity that can be quite popular: searching for a new home.
Known as the ‘Boxing Day bounce’, property websites often record sudden increases in online clicks. For example, on Zoopla, Christmas Day is the day when the number of visitors looking at homes for sale is lowest, and this number increases by almost 70 per cent the next day.
Traffic growth continues and peaks three to four weeks later.
As Richard Donnell, chief executive of Zoopla, puts it: “After a day out with family and friends, and perhaps after indulging a little too much, many Brits are turning their thoughts to property on Boxing Day, with the new year and the goals it brings to the horizon. Our data shows a real mix of browsers.”
What’s more, new research shared Independent Mortgage broker Alexander Hall suggests consumers have market conditions that could make Boxing Day 2025 a good time to start looking for a property.
Various selection
The company found that borrowers entering the market today benefited from more options, lower rates and lower monthly costs compared to last Christmas.
This, along with the Bank of England’s recent interest rate cut to 3.75 per cent, has given the market some impetus, which could provide comfort to buyers unsure whether 2026 is a sensible time to buy a home.
Alexander Hall’s analysis shows that mortgage product availability and rates offered have increased across all segments of the market compared to last Christmas.
As the chart below shows, as of December 5, the number of mortgage products in a single category increased by up to 68 percent compared to 12 months ago.
Over the same period, the average mortgage rate for buy-to-let investors was 0.77 percent lower and fell 0.6 percent for first-time homebuyers; The average rate for house movers fell by 0.42 percent and for those remortgaging by 0.34 percent.
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Richard Merrett, managing director of Alexander Hall, said product availability had benefited from the Bank of England keeping interest rates steady in recent months, bringing much-needed stability and allowing both lenders and borrowers to plan with more confidence.
He says: “While the Autumn Budget may have disappointed buyers hoping for direct support, the reality is that market conditions this Christmas are much more positive than they were a year ago.”
Merrett adds: “Furthermore, from an income-to-credit transition perspective, we are now seeing clear improvements in affordability. Many major lenders have strengthened their affordability assessments in recent months, allowing borrowers to access higher loan amounts than were possible a year ago.”
Busy Boxing Day for real estate websites
The main new update announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget was a ‘mansion tax’ affecting residential properties in England worth £2 million or more.
However, the lack of any changes to the stamp duty reform on home purchases has disappointed many potential buyers.
Earlier this month property website Rightmove said it expected a bigger jump than usual on Boxing Day as many of those who had paused their plans due to Budget uncertainty join the traditional start of the busier house moving season. The firm’s survey of more than 10,000 potential movers found that almost a fifth are waiting for the Budget result to proceed with their moving plans.
Angela Kerr, director of real estate consultancy site HomeOwners Alliance, says factors that make next year look like a good year to move include relatively stable house prices and declining mortgage rates.
Obstacles are still headaches
A number of obstacles continue to exist that make housing purchases difficult. Kerr comments: “The biggest deterrent for many households remains stamp duty. Our 2025 Homeowners Survey found that 24 per cent of UK homeowners cited stamp duty as a barrier to moving in the last two years.”
Jeremy Leaf, a north London estate agent and a former RICS head of housing, says signs of a Boxing Day boom are looking good; but his experience shows that although the quantity of responses increases at that time of year, the quality is not always the same.
“It will take us some time to really appreciate how serious the activity might be over the next few months,” he said.
“I’m not necessarily suggesting that buyers jump in and make a decision, but I’m not recommending that they carefully consider what’s available and how strong their position is… Interest rates may fall a little further, but they do so for a reason – to stimulate the economy amid concerns about growth and activity – so be very careful about what you can afford.”
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