New buyer enquiries dropped 12.9 per cent in the week ending 22 November, according to Yomdel.

Despite this dramatic fall, the indicator still reads 6 per cent above average pre-Covid levels and is 40 per cent higher than it was this time last year.

As well as this, new vendor enquiries fell 9.2 per cent – 46 per cent above this time last year, and new tenant enquiries also dropped – this time by a far less significant 0.8 per cent. This reading is 35 per cent above its level this time last year.

The only indicator that Yomdel tracks that went up last week was new landlord enquiries, which saw a 3.9 per cent rise and lies 15 per cent above last year’s figure.

It adds that estate agent website visits are currently 25 per cent average, giving a 44 per cent increase in visits on last year.

Yomdel founder and chief executive Andy Soloman says: “People are still buzzing around estate agents like bees round a honeypot. Unseasonably large numbers of buyers are in the market and there is strong supply from motivated sellers, so properties should be flying off the shelves right now.

“Covid, for all the terrible things it brings, has sparked a unique set of circumstances that play straight into the hands of forward-thinking estate agents with clearly defined and executed digital engagement strategies. Yes, there are challenges with sales progression but there is huge opportunity too.”