Rightmove Overseas saw 41 per cent more new users register in June 2020 than did so in June 2019, it says.
There were also 28 per cent more searches on the website in June on an annual basis.
Alongside this, more than a million searches were carried on Sunday 28 June – a record breaking amount for a single day on the website.
This equates to 73 per cent growth in searches compared to the same day last year.
The most popular country people searched for property in was Spain, where figures jumped 25 per cent on an annual basis, followed by France, where there a 32 per cent increase on the year.
Portugal was the third-most searched for. Here, 24 per cent more searches were carried out than in June 2019.
Rightmove overseas insight expert Rachel Beaton says: “We know that activity on Rightmove Overseas is always an inverse response to the British weather – so traffic dips when we have good weather, and then bounces back when the rain comes – and this was exactly what happened in the final weekend of June.
“This, coupled with the news about fewer restrictions on overseas travel, saw UK home-hunters flock to our site to look at places they could relocate to or buy a holiday home.”
Meanwhile, Chestertons International chief operating office Gavin Vercoe says that over the same weekend there was a 340 per cent rise in overseas interest across its network compared to that seen on 13 and 14 June.
Knight Frank partner Kate Everett-Allen adds: “Since 11 May, when the French property market reopened for business, our 30 plus strong office network in France have reported their busiest weeks for more than a decade.
“Our British clients are now making plans to view their shortlist of properties following the announcement on relaxing of travel restrictions.”
