Buy buy buy: Boxing Day is the new property peak
Boxing Day is a peculiarity reserved for Commonwealth countries and while it is traditionally reserved for heading to the sales, cold cuts and countryside hunts, it has also become synonymous with online property searches.
For the past few years, Rightmove and Zoopla have published figures that show a huge spike in online activity on Boxing Day. Web visits on 26th December has risen year-on-year, with double the amount of traffic in 2020 compared to Boxing Day 2019.
In addition, it appears people are happy to cruise property portals between turkey sandwiches and Auld Lang Syne, with over 51 million visits last year to Rightmove recorded between Boxing Day and the first working day of the new year.
There has been much speculation as to why online home hunting is now a bastion of Boxing Day and during the festive lull. One train of thought is that millions of people – perhaps with new devices they unwrapped under the tree – already know the web addresses of the UK’s leading property portals, so they use these familiar sites to test out their phones and tablets.
Another popular idea is that families who entertain over the holiday season realise that their home isn’t quite big enough and start the quest for more space, seeking a guest room for Auntie Maureen or a dining room capable of seating more than six people. For others, they’re already thinking ‘New year, new start’ and with time on their hands, they start checking out what’s for sale.
This property phenomenon has grown to such a degree that Rightmove has declared it ‘anticipates Boxing Day to be the effective start of the 2022 home buying season’. Although January is the peak for property searches – with all property portals historically recording the first month of a new year their busiest month for traffic – December is emerging as a strong contender.
“Serious, motivated buyers don’t want to miss an opportunity – especially as it’s a competitive market – and they will be looking for property on Boxing Day, along with the millions who indulge in speculative browsing,” says Viewber’s Co-Founder Ed Mead.
What does this mean for the property market? Demand this year could spell the end of the traditional December ‘wind down’ period when both home movers and agents take their foot off the gas.
“Agents need to brace themselves for new instructions in the run up to Christmas. Sellers know that search activity picks up when people have down time and are therefore keen to make their listing live before Christmas Eve.”
More often than not, branches close early – or completely – over the festive season, while many are short staffed. This doesn’t send strong signals to genuine home movers, but this is where Viewber can help. “Staff can attend those nativity plays, take a day off to go shopping or have some downtime with the family over Christmas – Viewber’s ‘always on’ service means service levels need not be compromised,” adds Ed.
The Viewber network is working right through December and with strength in numbers, we can conduct accompanied viewings, take property photographs and videos, and undertake inspections when teams are depleted or the ‘closed’ sign is up.
Open a conversation with Viewber today to ensure you have bolstered staff resources ready for the Boxing Day rush.
We’re also working between Christmas and New Year to help super-keen buyers tour their dream home.
