Rightmove predicts strong Boxing Day bounce after Budget uncertainty

A bigger-than-usual Boxing Day bounce is expected as buyers who paused plans due to Budget uncertainty join the traditional start of the busier home-moving season, claims a property portal.

Rightmove reveals nearly one in five buyers were waiting for the outcome of the Autumn Budget to resume their moving plans.

The property portal predicts 2026 will be a better year for price growth, with average new seller asking prices to rise by 2%.

Market will soon benefit from the traditional boost in home-moving activity from Boxing Day

According to Rightmove, prices usually fall in December, and this month the average price of property coming to the market has dropped by 1.8% (-£6,695) to £358,138.

The property portal says this year’s fall is larger than the ten-year average December drop of 1.4%.

This means 2025 ends with average asking prices 0.6% (-£2,059) lower than a year ago. Price growth this year was strongest in the North West of England (+2.6%), flat in London (0.0%) and weakest in the South West (-2.7%).

Rightmove says Budget uncertainty amplified the usual seasonal slowdown in prices, but a Boxing Day bounce could see activity rebound.

In London, the number of new sellers coming to market at the top end, which was hardest hit by Budget speculation, rose by 24% in the week after the Budget compared with the week before.

Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove, says buyers waited until after the Budget to make decisions amid uncertainty.

She said: “Lower price growth supported buyer affordability and drove activity in the first half of the year, even after the April stamp duty deadline in England. In the second half of 2025, uncertainty caused by rumours of property tax changes in November’s Budget swirled, some from as early as August.

“This had an impact on pricing and activity, as sellers tried to entice nervous buyers. The market will soon benefit from the traditional boost in home-moving activity from Boxing Day. Rightmove’s Boxing Day Bounce is an annual event where we see many begin or resume their plans to move after the distraction of Christmas. With the turkey and trimmings barely off the table, each year we see people heading straight to Rightmove to browse the fresh listings for sale and imagine how different next Christmas could look.”

Better year for price growth in 2026

Rightmove predicts 2026 housing market activity will be closer to the first half of this year than the second, and buyer affordability will improve.

Ms Babcock said: “With market conditions supporting higher levels of activity, and a hopefully more certain economic environment, we forecast a better year for price growth in 2026 with a strong rebound in activity to kick start the year. However, with buyer choice remaining high, sellers will still need to come to the market at tempting prices to attract attention and do all that they can to ensure that their property is presented as well as possible.

“A more stable 2026 would be good for buyer confidence, which in turn would further boost activity levels, leading to a modest price increase.”