One in five buyers who agreed a purchase property in July last year have still not completed more than six months later, with an estimated 100,000 buyers in total still likely to miss out on their expected tax saving, according to Rightmove.

This estimate is higher than Zoopla’s. The rival portal forecasts that 70,000 purchasers with deals agreed are likely to miss out on the stamp duty holiday, unless the existing deadline, scheduled for 31 March, is extended.

According to Rightmove, the number of new buyers continues to grow despite it now being too late for most new transactions to beat the stamp duty deadline, which suggests that many buyers’ desires to move are not dependent on the potential saving.

Rightmove saw traffic in the first week in February rise 45% compared with the same month last year, with keen home-hunters sending 18% more enquiries, and the number of purchases agreed up by 7% over the same period.

High demand is outstripping supply, which is down 21% year-on-year, and this is pushing up asking prices.

Following three consecutive monthly falls the average price of property coming to market is up 0.5%, or £1,522, this month, to reach an average of £318,580.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of property data, said: “Last year the market was unexpectedly buoyed by buyers’ determination to move and satisfy their new lockdown-induced housing needs. We may well be seeing a continuation of that this year.

“Rightmove’s early 2021 buyer data shows that despite the imminent end of the stamp duty incentive, all of the key buyer metrics are ahead of early 2020, itself an active period as the market was boosted by the post-election ‘Boris bounce’.

“As well as the current lockdown motivating buyer demand again, the restrictions have also been a factor in limiting new supply, leading to some modest upwards price pressure. These are strong signs that new buyer demand is not facing a cliff-edge after the 31st of March.

“It remains to be seen if this momentum will be enough to make up for the removal of the stamp duty savings that are benefitting many buyers and have been adding a sense of urgency to the whole market.”