THIS is the very best month to place your own home up on the market, Rightmove says – and it is not within the spring

Forget waiting until the spring – chilly February is actually the best month to put a home up for sale, according to analysis by Rightmove.

It found, on average, 68.9 per cent of homes listed in February go on to sell, with the remainder being taken off the market. 

It flies in the face of the received wisdom that sellers should put their homes on the market in spring once the sun is out, flowers are blooming and properties look more attractive. 

It takes seven months on average to find a buyer for a home and complete an onward purchase, so many aim to start looking at homes in the spring months to try and get in a new home before Christmas. 

Rightmove analysed millions of homes listed for sale over a ten-year period between 2014 and 2024, excluding 2020 due to the pandemic. 

It said 2025 was also excluded to account for homes listed later in the year which may still be waiting to find a buyer.

Sold in the cold: February is the best month to sell a home, based on the likelihood that a seller will be able to successfully find a buyer, research from Rightmove revealed

While February came out on top as the best month to get a home sold, sellers who list their homes in January or March also tended to do well.

In both months, 68.8 per cent of homes listed for sale go on to find a buyer.

In third place came April with 68.7 per cent of homes listed going on to sell. Next best is May with a 67.7 per cent chance of selling.

Although October came bottom of the list, 65.4 per cent of homes listed during that month still go on to find a buyer on average.

‘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,’ said Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove.

‘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.’

When do homes sell fastest? 

If time is of the essence, sellers may want to put their home on the market in January. This was identified as the quickest month to find a buyer on average.

Homes listed for sale in January over the ten-year analysis found a buyer in an average of 47 days. February was the next-quickest at 48 days.

March was the busiest month overall for home-moving activity. Over the last decade, Rightmove said it saw the most properties listed for sale, the buyers coming to market and the most sales agreed.

Mike Sharman, group managing director at Sharman Quinney estate agents said: ‘The January market is typically a very full-on time with vendors looking to make their move in the forthcoming year. 

‘February and March are usually the months where a lot of new properties come to the market, mainly driven by early spring arriving. 

‘Typically, these vendors have surveyed the market, viewed a lot of properties and made a commitment to come to the market.’

Mary-Lou Press, president of Propertymark, a membership body for estate agents, said many of its members are reporting a busier market compared to this time last year.

‘Compared to the previous few years, the conditions for buying and selling a home seem to be improving,’ she said.

‘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 people, 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.’