Home sellers have hit the ground running in 2026 with data from GetAgent showing a sharp early-year surge in listings as confidence returns to the housing market.
The portal analysed for-sale stock across England and found that activity remained unexpectedly strong over the Christmas period, with 31,943 homes listed between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, despite the festive slowdown that usually grips the market.
That momentum has carried straight into the new year. In the first seven days of 2026 alone, a further 36,117 homes were listed, a 13.1% increase on the previous seven-day period.
GetAgent says the spike reflects renewed seller confidence following the December base rate cut and the passing of Autumn Budget uncertainty.
LONDON CALLING
London has led the early surge, accounting for 15% of all new listings during the first week of the year. Essex followed with 7%, Kent with 6%, while Hampshire and Norfolk completed the top five, highlighting strong activity across both urban markets and key commuter belts.
GetAgent’s internal data also points to a strengthening pipeline of demand. January is traditionally one of the busiest months for valuations, and last year the platform generated more than 25,300 valuation requests for its agent partners. This year has started even more strongly, with GetAgent recording its highest ever single-day total of high-intent valuation requests in early January.
ORGANISED AND RESPONSIVE
Colby Short (main picture, inset), Co-founder and CEO of GetAgent, says: “Everything we’re seeing points to a strong start to 2026. Sellers are moving earlier and engagement levels are already building just days into the New Year.
“January is always one of our busiest periods for vendor activity, and the early signs this year suggest that quality agents are prepared to capitalise on it.
“Our Client Services team spoke to 2,749 vendors in the first week of January alone, highlighting strong levels of engagement from the very start of the year.
“It’s been encouraging to see so many of our agent partners responding to this early uplift, remaining organised and responsive as activity continues to build and pipelines begin to take shape for the year ahead.”
