Rightmove

What's happening in the housing market? 🏡 📈 The average price of a home coming to market rises by £3,876 this month to £371,870. 👉 While new Spring buyers will not beat this month’s stamp duty deadline, they will benefit from the highest property choice at this time of year since 2015. 👉 The number of sales being agreed is 9% higher than at this time last year, a positive sign for the market post-stamp-duty increase, and the number of new sellers is now 8% ahead of this time last year. Our property expert, Colleen Babcock, says: "The pipeline of sales going through the completion process, as well as new sales being agreed, are signs of the strength of the important Spring housing market." Tap the link here 👉 https://bit.ly/41urYJ3

A first-time buyer's monthly mortgage is £350 higher than five years ago! 🏠 👉 Average wage growth has outpaced first-time buyer price rises, increasing borrowing power. However, affordability remains very stretched, which is why we have welcomed proposals from the mortgage regulator that they are considering responsible ways to enable first-time buyers to borrow more. 👉 The average asking price for a typical first-time buyer home in Kilmarnock is £84,325. Greenock is second at £88,862, and Grimsby is third at £93,427. Our Mortgage Expert, Matt Smith, says: “Higher mortgage rates mean home-movers need to consider how much they can afford to pay each month on a monthly mortgage, even if they can meet the asking price of a home." Tap the link here to see the full list of cheapest locations 👉 https://bit.ly/4bIzioV

In celebration of International Women’s Day tomorrow, we are highlighting the unique strengths of women in the Estate & Letting Agents industry at the Women in Estate Agency Conference. 🏠   👉 The theme for this year’s conference is “The Power of You” reflecting Women in Estate Agency’s dedication to encouraging women to harness their strengths and support one another in a fast-evolving industry.   👉 With over 400 agents coming together, this video showcases just a few of the inspiring individuals working tirelessly in agencies across the UK to keep the nation moving.

Our leadership team is whisking up the fun this Pancake Day! 🥞😋 👉 They’ve been making stacks of pancakes for our fellow Rightmovers to enjoy. A tasty morning treat to start the day right!

We won Tech Business of the Year at the PLC Awards! 🏆 👉 We are really happy to announce that we’ve been named Tech Business of the Year at the PLC Awards. 👉 The award recognises tech companies driving economic growth and reshaping the way people communicate and consume information. Our Chief Strategy Officer Lydia Yao accepted the award on behalf of our hard-working teams constantly driving our tech platform and new innovations forward.

A look back on 2024 💼 Hear directly from our CEO Johan on the progress our Rightmovers made in 2024. We have lots more exciting developments to come this year, and beyond, to help both home-movers and our partners. Johan Svanstrom says: "We saw solid revenue and profit growth in 2024, and are very excited about the momentum in the business on many different fronts. The property market is experiencing a better environment and confidence compared to a year ago and we're here to help consumers and partners to thrive, using our leading digital and data-driven platform.” Tap here to watch the full video 👉 https://bit.ly/41fRVMp

Celebrating Our Volunteers This Week! ⭐️ 💻 Beth, Apurva, Ana and some people from the software engineering teams have been working with Future CodeHers to encourage young girls to get into tech. 👉 They had the opportunity to speak with 30 Year 9 students, highlighting what roles in tech look like and how tech businesses and teams are run. Our Talent Acquisition Partner, Beth Mayes, says: "We might not see the outcome instantly, but we need to encourage more diversity in technology, and this starts with education."

Nearly 74,000 movers in England are set to miss the stamp duty deadline in April 🏠 👉 25,000 of those movers are first time buyers, with a collective £142 million in extra stamp duty payments on the line. 👉 We're calling for a short extension to the stamp duty deadline, to help these home-movers who are currently set to miss it and complete in April. Our property expert, Colleen Babcock, says: “We expect a rush to complete close to March 31st as first-time buyers and home-movers try to avoid paying extra in tax." Tap the link here 👉 https://bit.ly/3D2O39t

What's happening in the housing market? 🏡 📈The average price of a home coming to the market rises by £1,805 this month to £367,994. 👉 The stamp duty deadline will impact some regions and movers more than others, with a log-jam expected as some scramble to complete before March 31st. 👉 First-time buyer purchases between £500,001 and £625,000 are most affected, with an extra £11,250 at risk if the deadline is missed. Our property expert, Colleen Babcock, says: "Beyond the deadline, agents report that underlying market activity remains positive, and that they don’t expect a major drop-off in activity from April." Tap the link here 👉 https://bit.ly/3X56H7h

We helped out the government this week as they announced plans to try and help speed up the buying and selling process through digitisation. 🏠   👉 Our property expert Colleen Babcock took part in filming, revealing it takes a painful five months on average from the time a home sale is agreed until someone picks up the keys.    Our CEO, Johan Svanstrom also put forward his opinions on why digitisation is key to speed up the property market. “If the plans set out by the government can further the access to information and an improved transaction process, it's also critical to drive industry-wide adoption of tech solutions and collaboration to make it a success.”