‘Post-Christmas sales surge will be biggest since pre-Covid’
Rightmove reckons the expected surge in property searches on Boxing Day will be almost three times larger than the year before Covid struck.
Estate agents could miss out on the traditional Christmas bounce if they don’t boost their property marketing spend to cash in on the busiest post-festive market bounce since before Covid, says the ValPal Network.
Rightmove reckons the number of new properties coming to market on Boxing Day has almost tripled since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. And rival Zoopla is investing heavily in a TV ad campaign (main picture) to make the most of the festive bounce which it believes will see a 150% upsurge in web traffic between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
property
Craig Vile, Director at The ValPal Network, says: “It is imperative that local agents take advantage of this national opportunity.
“These big portals are predicting a significant increase in business enquiries as soon as the dishes are cleared away from the Christmas table and they will be advertising accordingly.
“It’s a great springboard for agents.
“We know that 2024 is expected to see a fall in interest rates possibly in the first half of the year – and we know that there is a huge amount of pent-up demand as prospective buyers wait for the right opportunity to enter the market.
“Maintaining or increasing property marketing spend is vital if agents are going to get their fair share of new business.”
MOTIVATED MOVERS
Zoopla are targeting what they see as ‘motivated movers’ during the festive period and throughout 2024. That means second and third-steppers as well as first-time buyers who, they believe, are most likely to enter the market quickest.
It expects the campaign to result in a 39% increase in year-on-year campaign-driven lead volumes even though they admit that 2024 will continue to be a tough market and a challenge for many.
Vile adds: “This demonstrates the confidence that the big players have in the market.
“Agents have to concentrate on their own marketing, boost their advertising budget and increase their speed to lead. They need to get appointments booked for early January and then fill those pipelines.”
