Spring is typically the busiest period in the property market and it’s easy to assume that this means it’s the best time to buy a house. But while purchasing then can be a great idea, other seasons offer advantages for buyers.
The seasons of the year have individual pros and cons for purchasers, and getting your timing right when you’re buying a house requires understanding what these are. Circumstances like the changes to stamp duty thresholds can also matter.
To maximise your buying power and help you end up with the best home at the best price, our guide has all you need to know on when might prove the best months of the year for housebuying.
Buy in spring for maximum choice
If you want the biggest range of properties to choose from, spring going into summer offer the most choice for buyers, as 2024’s evidence shows. “May was the most popular month to list a home for sale on Zoopla, followed by April and March,” says Alex Rose, director of sales. The activity peak extended into summer and it proved “the most popular time of year for house viewings and moves," he says.
This was a typical pattern. “Generally, spring and summer see the largest number of properties on the market, and therefore more choice for buyers,” says Luke Saywell, partner at Nottinghamshire family estate agents Gascoines.
The reason why the season is so popular is that it is generally favourable to the homes on sale. “Spring tends to be the busiest time of year for the housing market as most properties appear at their best,” explains Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman.
Alex Rose
Alex Rose is director of sales at Zoopla, where he has worked for over nine years. He has extensive experience in the property sector, working to deliver better outcomes for estate agents and housebuilders.
Luke Saywell
Luke Saywell is a partner at family-run estate agents Gascoines and has vast experience at managing sales and lettings transactions in rural Nottinghamshire.
Jeremy Leaf
Jeremy Leaf is principal of Jeremy Leaf & Co, a north London firm of independent chartered surveyors, new homes development consultants, sales and lettings agents which began trading in 1984. Jeremy is also a fellow of the RICS as well as the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). He was residential chair of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for over five years and its national housing spokesperson for 19.
Downsides of buying in spring
Although spring is busy in the property market, bear in mind that you might miss out on some properties — and this can mean it isn’t the best time to buy a property to renovate, for example.
“Not all properties have an attractive garden or are blessed with good natural light,” says Jeremy Leaf. “Those which need a fair amount of work or are relatively dark and lack natural light might find those flaws exposed by the additional light and sunshine at that time of year, so sensible vendors will be putting these properties on the market away from the peak spring market.”
And while you can expect plenty of homes to be for sale, there will be plenty of other potential buyers, too. “You could find you are competing with many more people for the most desirable properties, which could push up the price,” says Jeremy.
“Other services related to housebuying are also busier, such as conveyancers, valuers, the Land Registry, lenders and removals firms so it can take longer for a transaction to process,” he points out. “You may also end up paying more for services such as removals because there is so much demand.”
(Image credit: Getty Images/tekinturkdogan)
Reasons to buy in winter
You might think that winter isn’t a good time to buy a home, but it can bring benefits.
“Estate agents usually advise vendors that December is not the best time to start marketing their property because buyers have other issues on their minds,” says Jeremy Leaf.
“But if you are house hunting in the run-up to Christmas, you will find that the celebrations are a good focal point for concentrating minds to secure an exchange or completion before the big day and can add urgency to the decision-making process on both sides. It may therefore be the right time for you to buy if you are keen to agree a deal and move quickly.”
What’s more, it can give you an opportunity to appreciate aspects of a home you wouldn’t at other times. “During colder weather, you can immediately assess how well the house retains heat and the efficiency of its heating system,” says Luke Saywell. “It’s also a good opportunity to check for issues like drafts, condensation, damp patches, or leaks that might be hidden in other seasons.
“Additionally, winter provides insight into how much natural light the property receives during shorter days and whether outdoor spaces are prone to waterlogging,” he says.
Other good times of the year to buy a house
It’s not just spring and winter that can prove optimal for housebuying.
“Other times of year can be a good time to buy, such as around Valentine’s Day, where couples make decisions and early September with buyers and sellers making additional resolutions which they try to realise before Christmas or the end of the year after returning from holidays, particularly if children are involved,” says Jeremy Leaf.
Timing housebuying to save on stamp duty
There’s a deadline that influences the best time to buy a house in 2025, and that’s because of the changes to stamp duty thresholds.
Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is payable on house purchases over a certain price in England and Northern Ireland. It’s paid on increasing portions of the price and first-time buyers are able to claim a discount called a relief. In 2022 the government temporarily increased the thresholds at which the different SDLT rates apply, but this ends on 31 March 2025, so that house purchases completed after that are subject to lower thresholds.
This has left little time for buyers to save money and it’s important to realise that a buyer has no influence on how long some of the parts of the housebuying process take, including the time taken for local authority searches. Analysis of their processing times by Mojo Mortgages shows that searches can take from three to 180 days, creating a postcode lottery when it comes to making the deadline.
While spring can seem the best season for housebuying, it’s worth considering the advantages other times of the year can bring. The benefits of less competition and buyers keen to make a deal can make seasons other than spring favourable. Less pleasant weather and shorter days could be the key to seeing a house at it really is and choosing the best buy.
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Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor writing for websites, national newspapers, and magazines. She’s spent most of her journalistic career specialising in homes.
She loves testing the latest home appliances and products, and investigating the benefits, costs and practicalities of home improvement. She is an experienced renovator and is currently remodelling the ground floor of her new home.
She was Executive Editor of Ideal Home and has worked for Your Home and Homes & Ideas. Her work has published by numerous titles, including The Guardian, channel4.com, Houzz, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Homes & Antiques, Real Homes, The English Home, Period Living, Beautiful Kitchens, Good Homes and Country Homes & Interiors.
