The Boxing Day Bounce – Is it worth the wait?
Every year agents say, “Wait until Boxing Day to sell!” Sure, traffic spikes — but it’s mostly browsers, not buyers. Hot buyers are active all year, and launching with the crowd means more competition, keener pricing, and less chance of a premium sale.
Just as some agents advise to wait for September for the housing market to pick up (remember, we’ve had the busiest July since 2021 for sales and listings — and at the time of writing, August is shaping up to top even that), come the autumn we start to see the messaging change. The advice then? Wait until Boxing Day!
Here’s the truth: yes, Boxing Day sees a big surge in property portal traffic — but that’s only because only the most serious buyers are looking in the run-up to Christmas. Between mid-December and Christmas Day, most people are more focused on turkeys, tinsel, and travel plans than on arranging a viewing. So when the festivities are over, there’s a natural spike as people lounge on the sofa and scroll Rightmove.
But here’s the thing — a lot of those Boxing Day browsers aren’t serious buyers. They might be at the very start of thinking about moving, and could be six months or more away from being in a position to buy. The serious, motivated buyers — the ones with mortgages agreed, cash in the bank, and a pressing need to move — don’t suddenly appear on December 26th. They’re in the market all year round.
Why waiting can cost you
If you want to sell for a premium price, you need a strategy — and a good strategy does not involve holding back your property until the exact same day as thousands of others. When every agent dumps their stock onto the market at once, your home is just one of many vying for attention. That doesn’t create urgency; it creates competition.
And here’s another consequence agents rarely mention: launching alongside everyone else makes buyers more price-sensitive. When dozens of new listings hit the market at the same time, buyers are in comparison mode, scrolling side-by-side, and weighing up “value” at a glance. To make your property stand out, you’ll feel pressure to price more keenly — which in turn makes other, similar homes look overpriced. It’s a race to the bottom that doesn’t do sellers any favours.
And here’s the irony…
Most agents don’t even open on Boxing Day. And many who do open between Christmas and New Year operate on reduced hours. If they truly believed it was the most important day of the year to launch, wouldn’t they have full teams ready to take calls, arrange viewings, and handle enquiries? The reality is that Boxing Day traffic is mostly browsers, not bookers.
Who really benefits from the Boxing Day bounce?
Estate agency brands. It’s great marketing for them — “Look how many new listings we’ve launched!” — but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the best move for you as a seller. If anything, releasing your property when everyone else does is the opposite of standing out.
The bottom line
The Boxing Day bounce is a real traffic phenomenon — but traffic isn’t the same as ready-to-offer buyers. If your property is ready to launch now, you could be catching those hot buyers before your competition even thinks about moving. And if you’re not ready yet? Focus on timing that works for your goals, not on fitting into an agent’s marketing calendar.
Because the best time to sell is the moment your property looks its best, your price is right, and the market has the right buyers — not just because the Christmas pudding has been cleared away.