Is now a good time to sell a house?

February and March are often the best months to list a house for sale as the arrival of spring prompts buyers to think about moving.

Nearly seven in 10 homes listed for sale in February and March go on to complete the transaction, making them the joint-highest months of the year, according to property website Rightmove.

House prices can even enjoy a spring boost thanks to a rise in activity, with buyers looking to have settled into their new homes in time for the summer.

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This year could be different, though, with stamp duty changes threatening to put the breaks on the housing market.

Under current rules, buyers only have to pay stamp duty on homes worth more than £250,000, or £425,000 for first-time buyers. These thresholds will drop to £125,000 and £300,000 respectively from 1 April.

The changes have prompted a surge of activity over the past few months, but experts have warned it is now too late to beat the deadline unless you are already a long way through the conveyancing process.

After a jump in transactions in the first three months of the year, Nationwide’s chief economist Robert Gardner is forecasting a “corresponding period of weakness in the following three to six months, as occurred in the wake of previous stamp duty changes”.

With this in mind, those listing a property for sale this spring may find the market moves more slowly than in previous years, potentially resulting in a knock-on effect on prices.

“While property prices are expected to remain resilient in the first quarter, partly a reflection of base rate cuts and the stamp duty deadline, it will be interesting to see whether that momentum continues beyond April,” said Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at investment platform Bestinvest.

“Affordability levels may be improving, albeit very slightly, but they remain severely stretched by historical standards. Mix that in with property tax increases, rising living costs from April when household bills jump up once again, job uncertainty and the potential for wage growth to slow and some sellers may be compelled to adjust asking prices downwards to secure a sale,” she added.

Is the housing market slowing already?

We could be starting to see evidence of a property market slowdown already. Halifax’s house price index dropped by 0.1% in February as the stamp duty window narrowed.

The latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, published on 11 March, also showed a “modest slowdown” across the sales market. The report (which looks at sentiment rather than transactions data) showed a net balance score of -14% for new buyer enquiries, down from -1% in January.

Net balance scores are calculated by subtracting negative responses from positive responses, and can range from -100 to +100. In this instance, a result of -14% means the majority of respondents saw a fall in new buyer enquiries in February.

Survey respondents also reported fewer newly-agreed sales, with the net balance figure falling to -13% in February, down from +2% in January.

“Agents report that some of the steam is coming out of new sellers’ price expectations to fit the changing market conditions, which is a sensible reaction to attract buyer interest, and it will also help to support activity levels,” said Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove.

Presenting your home in the most attractive light can also help it sell in periods when the market slows down.

“It may sound obvious, but clean up, declutter and make sure any obvious defects are put right before the photos are taken and viewers start coming round,” said Ben Hudson, managing director at Hudson Moody, an estate agent in York.

What’s happening with house prices?

House prices are hovering around an all-time high after a market recovery in 2024.

House price indices are typically published with a time lag, but the latest data from Nationwide and Halifax shows that prices have continued to grow so far in 2025 overall.

Nationwide reported monthly growth of 0.1% in January and 0.4% in February, taking the average property price to £270,493. Meanwhile, Halifax reported growth of 0.6% in January followed by a dip of 0.1% in February, taking the average property to £298,602.

Stamp duty changes could dampen growth from April, particularly in the southern part of the country where a higher proportion of homes are captured by the tax. Despite this, most experts have forecast that house prices will end the year in positive territory overall.

“The ongoing shortage of housing supply coupled with sustained demand suggests property prices will continue to rise this year, albeit at a more measured pace compared to last year,” said Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Halifax.

Estate agent Savills expects the average UK property to end the year 4% higher, while real estate consultancy Knight Frank is forecasting 2.5%. There will of course be regional variations, with prices currently rising more rapidly in the north where affordability is less stretched.

Is now a good time to sell a house?

The answer to this question depends on your own personal circumstances as well as the state of the housing market.

Mortgage rates are on a downward trajectory and are expected to fall further over the course of this year, but remain high compared to their long-term average. This might prove off-putting to those weighing up whether to take on more debt to upsize.

That said, house prices often rise as interest rates fall, so waiting until mortgage rates are lower could mean you end up having to offer a higher asking price when you do ultimately move further down the line.

As this would suggest, the question of when to sell may depend on whether you are buying another property at the same time – and how much that new property costs.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, explains: “If you’re selling and buying at the same time, you can trade the loss of a premium on your property for being able to drive a harder bargain where you’re moving.

“The exception to this is for those who are downsizing.”

Right now, with house prices rising, it could be a good time to downsize. If both the home you are selling and the property you are buying have increased in value by, say, 5%, you will make a bigger profit overall as the property you are selling is worth more.

For those who are stepping up and buying a more expensive home, rising property prices could make the transaction more expensive.

However, house prices perform very differently in different parts of the UK, so you may find that house prices have not changed in the same way in both your local area and where you would like to move to.

If you are thinking of selling, you will also have to consider the costs involved. This can include estate agent fees, legal fees, stamp duty and capital gains tax. If you are selling because you would like to free up some money, you should weigh up whether it is still worth it after the costs.