On the starting blocks for the post-Valentine's peak

Across the Andrews' network our teams are getting ready for the post-Valentine's peak in property interest.

The what

You read correctly, and I expect if you took a closer look at your own data you might see something similar. Simply, having reviewed our own data from the last couple of years we can see that there's uplift in interest in property during the week after Valentine's Day. Web visits go up; the numbers of tenants and buyers registering increases; potential new landlords seeking rental valuations on their homes go up; and more mortgage enquiries are received compared to during the first half of the month.

If you stop to think about it, there are a number of possible explanations for this. Valentine's Day marks a milestone in many relationships - people decide to move in together or move from a rental to an owned property; they get engaged; and in some instances they split up. Whatever the situation, Valentine's Day encourages many people to consider a new home.

Andrews' data paints a positive picture on both the sales and lettings side of things. Over the last two years our data taken in the week after Valentine's Day, compared with that of the week before, has demonstrated that 14% more lifestage landlord accounts are created, perhaps signalling that they'd like to keep their options open when moving in with a partner. A lifestage landlord is one that has taken to the decision to let their property rather than sell it, perhaps signalling that they'd like to keep their options open when moving in with a partner.

On the sales side, potential buyers registering in the week after Valentine's Day has increased by an average of 5% over the last two years, and last year there were 50% more mortgage applicants after February 14th than in the week previously.

A one off peak might have signalled a blip but we believe that this is an emerging trend and it's one that we're more than happy to see grow

*Michael Robson is the CEO of Andrews Estate Agents