8th Jan 2021 05:04
(Alliance News) - Property buying website Rightmove on Friday said it recorded its busiest start to the year ever with site visits surging as the UK housing market was again exempted from the latest lockdown in England.
Site visits jumped 30% from a year earlier, Rightmove noted, during what is already a traditionally frantic period for the housing sector.
"January is usually one of our busiest months of the year as people start to make new year plans to move, as was the case at the start of last year when we also had the post-election bounce that gave hope of an active spring market, before that all changed with the temporary closure from March until May," Rightmove Director of Property Data Tim Bannister said
"We didn't know how this year would start with so much change and uncertainty around restrictions, but it's been reassuring for those people hoping or needing to move that the demand we've seen so far is the highest we've ever had in January."
Rightmove said it had six million daily site visits on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rightmove added that there was an 11% annual rise in people contacting agents about buying property.
Like in the second nationwide lockdown in England, the housing sector has been allowed to stay open.
"The housing market has been allowed to stay open during these latest lockdowns, and agents have already spent months working in a Covid-secure way and creating a number of property videos, so buyers and renters starting out on their search this year will find that, alongside the safe viewing protocols, more agents are offering virtual viewings to help buyers and renters better shortlist the properties they want to go and see," Bannister explained.
Back in July, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the threshold for stamp duty would be temporarily raised to GBP500,000 from GBP125,000 until March 31, 2021.
Rightmove added: "The impending end to the stamp duty holiday, more people re-evaluating where they live and the housing market staying open have all contributed to Rightmove recording its busiest ever start to a new year."
By Eric Cunha; [email protected]
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