February named best month to sell: Rightmove Mortgage Finance Gazette

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February is the best month to get your home sold, based on the likelihood of successfully finding a buyer, Rightmove research reveals.

The data shows that February just came out on top as the best month to get a home sold, with 68.9% of homes listed for sale in the month going onto successfully find a buyer.

January, typically when activity starts ramping up after a quieter Christmas period, and March, the popular Spring selling month, tied for second place.

In both months, 68.8% of homes listed for sale go onto find a buyer on average.

With it taking a lengthy seven months on average to find a buyer for a home and complete an onward purchase, Rightmove says many aim to progress moves in Spring to try and get in a new home before Christmas.

In third place came April (68.7%) and then May (67.7%) further highlighting the popularity of the Spring moving season.

Although October came bottom of the list, 65.4% of homes listed in this month still go onto find a buyer on average, not far below February’s rate, highlighting that the best time to come to market is when home-movers are ready and motivated.

Rightmove’s data shows that January was identified as the quickest month to find a buyer on average, even if it was just pipped by February as the most successful month to sell.

Homes listed for sale in January found a buyer in an average of 47 days while February followed in second place with an average of 48 days.

March came out as the month with the largest number of properties newly listed on the market for sale. Rightmove says this is when most buyers come to market on average across the year, and when most overall sales are agreed on average.

Rightmove property expert Colleen Babcock says: “It’s a tight contest, but on average February is the best month to get your home sold, followed by further strong months during the upcoming and very important Spring home-moving season.”

“Sellers who are yet to act but are considering a 2026 move might consider coming to market soon to take advantage of the increase in home-buyer activity.”

Also commenting in relation to the data Housing Secretary Steve Reed adds: “Selling a home is often about a fresh start – a bigger place, a growing family, or a new chapter – but too often the process makes it far harder than it needs to be.”

Rightmove’s analysis looked at millions of properties listed for sale over a 10-year period between 2014 and 2024.

2020 was excluded from the analysis due to the pandemic, while 2025 was excluded to account for homes listed later in the year which may still be waiting to find a buyer.

Propertymark National Association of Estate Agents president Mary-Lou Press comments: “Many people are clearly preparing for a house sale before more people flock to the housing market once winter is over and the busier spring months begin.”

“Compared to the previous few years, the conditions for buying and selling a home seem to be improving. Many estate agents are reporting a busier market compared to this time last year, the Bank of England’s base rate is improving, the UK Government is proceeding with homebuying and selling reforms that will help improve the process for millions of consumers, and banks are offering more affordable mortgage products, especially for first-time buyers.”

“All of these factors should result in 2026 being a buoyant year for the UK’s housing market.”