New figures from Dacre, Son & Hartley point to a sharp rise in agreed sales over the summer.
The Yorkshire estate agency agreed 32% more home sales in August than in the same month last year.
That followed a 12% year-on-year increase in July.
The figures cover the agency’s 17 offices across North and West Yorkshire.
The improvement suggests activity strengthened during the summer following a turbulent period for the housing market.
Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said buyer activity initially picked up at the start of 2026.
He said: “Last autumn was difficult, with buyers waiting for the expected bad news associated with the Chancellor’s Budget.
“But we then saw a positive start to 2026, with a noticeable increase in activity in both January and February as suppressed demand was released.”
McCutcheon said the Middle East conflict and political uncertainty in the UK subsequently hit confidence. Inflation and mortgage rates also increased.
Price growth then eased during the second quarter, particularly at the upper end of the market. Lower prices helped attract buyers back.
McCutcheon believes motivated buyers and sellers are increasingly choosing to move rather than wait for greater certainty.
He said: “As the year has progressed, both buyers and sellers who are motivated to move have given up waiting for certainty to return.
“They have decided to press ahead and move, with their housing needs taking priority over other events.”
McCutcheon said activity has focused mainly on the core and more affordable parts of the market.
The figures represent one agency’s performance rather than the wider housing market. However, they indicate that motivated movers remain active despite affordability pressures and economic uncertainty.
Looking ahead, the agency said new instructions remain at healthy levels.
McCutcheon expects the additional stock to generate further buyer interest during September and October. These are traditionally two of the agency’s busiest months
