Next month is the best time to sell a property, analysis published by Rightmove shows.

Discounting the market closure in early 2020, the firm says that over the last five years, March has seen the highest number of enquiries per property on sale, despite new listings also peaking in March.

And this year is no different, Rightmove adds. It says that, on an annual basis, new listings over the last three weeks are up 11%, buyer demand over the last three week is up 32%, and home valuation requests since the start of the year have risen 27%.

The ‘race for space’ continues in earnest as well – searches for gardens are up 70% over the last two years.

April is the next-strongest month, followed nearly by May.

Rightmove director of property data Tim Bannister comments: “Spring has long been known as a peak point in the housing market calendar… this interesting study confirms that for those considering selling this year, March has historically been the best time to come to market on average.

“For any sellers who might be conscious of coming to market at a time when the number of new listings has traditionally been high, the data shows us that the level of demand in March means sellers are likely to be met with multiple potential buyers competing for their home.”

Bannister continues: “Due to the speed and competitiveness of the market, agents are reporting that it continues to be of high importance for those actively looking to become ‘power buyers’ to give themselves the best chance of securing their dream home. This means making sure they have their current property on the market or preferably sold subject to contract before beginning the search for their next home.”

Chestertons head of sales Cory Askew says: “The reason we are likely to see a particularly busy March this year is because the first two months have already outperformed last year’s start of the year and house hunters are driven to find a home since lockdown restrictions have been eased.

“An additional incentive for property buyers to act now is the recent spike in interest rates and the fear that the Bank of England announces yet another rate rise later this year.”