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The housing market is picking up pace, estate agents say, as mortgage rates are falling with lower interest rates. If you’re thinking of moving home, is 2025 a good year to sell your home?
Despite sluggish house price growth, long-standing homeowners who sold a property last year made a profit of almost £92,000 on average. That’s according to a survey by estate agency Hamptons. However, the headline figure of £91,820 average profit was down compared to the £102,650 average profit in 2023.
What does it mean if you’ve got aspirations to sell this year? Can you expect to make a similar return? Is now a good time to sell? Read on to find out.
What’s on this page?
UK house prices have got off to a relatively weak start in 2025 as the housing market remains sluggish. The latest figures for February 2025 suggest house prices are ticking up, but at a lower rate than expected. Lender Halifax said house prices rose 2.9% in the year to February, just below economists’ forecasts of a 3.1% rise, according to figures from news agency Reuters.
Nationwide said house prices were up 3.9% year-on-year, down from 4.1% in January. A stamp duty concession is due to end on 31 March, which may have caused a spike in sales this month as people rush to beat the deadline, but is likely to lead to slower completed sales in the coming months.
From 1 April, stamp duty will begin to be charged after the first £125,000 of a property purchase (currently it is applied on values above £250,000) in England and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile the threshold at which first-time buyers begin paying stamp duty will drop from £425,000 to £300,000.
Jason Tebb, president of property search website OnTheMarket, says the impending end to the stamp duty concession has galvanised buyers and sellers, but this may not continue throughout the year.
“Affordability concerns have been an issue for a while, with rates higher than many borrowers have grown used to, along with the higher high cost of living and other pressures. Buyers remain sensitive on price and won’t pay over the odds, so sellers should seek advice and price accordingly.”
Spring is usually considered to be the best time to sell a house, although there is some variation. The property portal Rightmove says February and March are the best months of the year to put your home up for sale.
Homes put up for sale in these months take an average of 1.5 months to find a buyer, with two-thirds of offers going on to successfully complete. Rightmove adds that, as of early February 2025, buyer demand was up by 8% compared to a year previously. July, August and December tend to be the worst times to sell, when people are away on holiday or making plans for Christmas.
Most moves happen in the summer months, when people have more time. The last Friday in August is often a popular moving date. The online estate agent Purplebricks points out that because spring is a more popular time to sell, you might face more competition then as lots of people put their home on the market. Whenever you sell, making your home look its best from the outside matters.
Ben Hudson, managing director at Hudson Moody estate agents in York, says first impressions count. “‘Kerb appeal’ is very important, as when people arrive to view your property, or even when walking or driving past, they’ll likely form a first impression of your home. The more attractive you can make it look on the outside, the more likely people are going to want to come inside.”
People looking to downsize were one of the major drivers of property sales in 2024, according to Jackson Stops’ property market predictions. The agency believes that homeowners seeking lifestyle changes, and eager to unlock the significant equity they have built up, will continue to be a dominant buyer group – along with young families – throughout 2025.
Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops, says the outlook for 2025 is quietly optimistic, with demand moving in the right direction following a cautious 2024. “With the political landscape looking more settled…we anticipate that this stability will encourage more people to enter the market, whether they are first-time buyers or those looking to move up the property ladder.”
If you’re deciding whether now is the time to chase a dream of living in the country or trade in a big family home for somewhere more manageable, the decision should come down more to your own needs and preferences rather than ‘playing the market’.
When it comes to buying or selling a house, there are no certainties. Whether it’s variations in supply and demand, global events or political unknowns on the domestic front, all kinds of curveballs can affect if and when there is a right time to move.
Your individual needs are by far the most important thing when you’re thinking about unpacking a lifetime of memories into a new home.
Empty nests, your own health needs, travel plans and helping offspring onto the housing ladder are all factors that might also be influencing you. All of this means that often the best time to move is when it feels right to you.
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