Jackson-Stops said the Autumn Budget has given the market relief from concerns over more punitive wealth and property taxes, at least for now.

Combined with expected base rate cuts from the Bank of England, the estate agent said this is likely to give many vendors and buyers the confidence to move forward with their plans.

Jackson-Stops pointed out that, in January, it will be six years since the ‘Boris Bounce’, the onset of Covid-19 and a prolonged period of disruption and uncertainty in the housing market.

The six-week closure of the housing market was followed by a race for space, boosted by the short-term stamp duty holiday. The 2022 emergency Budget threw the housing market into turmoil as historically low interest rates soared and post-Covid inflation took hold.

Unnaturally high price growth in coastal and rural Britain then began to unravel, worsened by the sell-off of second homes under pressure from the increasingly heavy burden of regulation on individual landlords and second home owners.

Then 2024 and 2025 were dogged by political instability around the general election and leading up to a well-trailed budget.

Jackson-Stops chairman Nick Leeming said: “Interest rates are expected to settle in the mid-threes, already factored in by many mortgage lenders. This improving outlook is helping to restore confidence across the market.

“The first quarter of the year is set to be particularly busy, driven by pent-up demand that built ahead of the Budget and is expected to carry through into next year, reinforcing a spring bounce that should be more pronounced than the long-term norm.

“While much of the industry was uneasy about the kite-flying in the run-up to the Budget, the final outcome was better than initially feared. This has created the conditions for an unexpected ‘Reeves rebound’, giving buyers the reassurance they needed to proceed with their plans and move forward.”