Rightmove reveals pre-Easter surge in listings

New data suggests Thursday 28 March was the biggest day for the number of new sellers coming to market so far this year.  

Property portal Rightmove said the date, the final day before the long Easter Bank Holiday weekend, was the third biggest day for new listings coming up for sale since August 2020.

Boxing Day in 2022 and 2023 were the only days with more properties coming to market in one day.  

There were 45% more homes added to Rightmove on Thursday 28 March than the previous Thursday, as people got their homes on the market to try and capture the attention of buyers across the Easter weekend, the portal said.

Rightmove said the housing market continues its recovery following a muted 2023, with asking prices up by 0.8% over the past year, currently standing at £368,118 across Great Britain.  

A regional look compared to pre-covid years shows varying regional price variations, with asking prices up by 29% since March 2020 in Wales, versus an 8% uplift in London.

Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister, said: “A huge number of new sellers came to market as we all geared up for the Easter break, all hoping to capture the attention of those buyers using the long weekend to home hunt alongside their Easter egg hunts.

“It’s still a price sensitive market, so while the uptick in activity we’ve seen over the past few months is a positive sign, sellers still need to heed the advice from their agent on pricing competitively to help secure a successful sale.”