Buyer demand remains below the levels seen a year ago, but the housing market continues to show signs of stability rather than further deterioration.
The latest market report from Rightmove shows that the number of prospective buyers making enquiries about homes for sale is still lower than during the same period in 2025. However, activity levels remain broadly consistent with the trends seen throughout 2026, suggesting that demand has settled into a steady pattern following a more subdued start to the year.
While affordability pressures and economic uncertainty continue to weigh on buyer sentiment, the portal indicates that the market is holding up better than some had anticipated, with enquiry volumes showing little change from recent weeks.
Analysis by the property portal also found that buyer demand fell by 8% during the week following 22 May, when unusually hot weather coincided with the half-term holiday. Rightmove said many prospective buyers appeared to delay arranging viewings as temperatures rose.
However, demand began to recover from 1 June as conditions cooled, with buyer activity returning to normal seasonal patterns. By 6 June, the number of enquiries from prospective buyers had surpassed pre-heatwave levels.
Rightmove’s Colleen Babcock said: “It’s not unusual for short-term external events like a heatwave or school holidays to have a temporary impact on home-moving activity, and this time we had both at the same time, so it isn’t surprising that some buyers paused their searches or delayed viewings for a few days. What’s more telling is how quickly demand tends to bounce back, as we’re now seeing, with underlying market activity remaining consistent with what we’ve seen in 2026 so far.
“We regularly see patterns like this in our real-time data, whether it’s seasonal shifts, major events like the World Cup coming up, or even cultural moments influencing behaviour, which is a reminder as to the scale of the Rightmove platform.”
Reflecting on the latest Rightmove data, Jeremy Leaf, a north London estate agent, commented: “On the ground and confirmed in this data, we noticed a rebound in enquiries at the end of May/beginning of June – more than we might have otherwise expected for the time of year.
“However, we put that improvement more down to buyers coming to terms with the fallout and length of the Iran war than not feeling as much heat from the sun.
“Demand may have increased but generating commitment to purchase is proving just as tricky as it has been since hostilities began.
