Andrews Property Group has reported that instructions in April and May 2020 were down 90% and 73% respectively on the equivalent months in 2019, but that June 2020 saw a significant rebound.
Instructions were down only 26% on the corresponding month last year, up 178% on May 2020, when the property market reopened mid-month, and 624% on April — when Andrews saw just 55 instructions across its south of England branches.
June also saw viewings up 373% on May.
EXCLUSIVE: Majority not motivated to move house following lockdown
Andrews carried out 6,436 viewings in June 2020, or 214 a day, compared to less than one viewing a day in April.
David Westgate, group chief executive of Andrews Property Group, said: “The second quarter of 2020 was the most surreal in the property market’s history, with instructions and viewings at almost zero in April and then rebounding sharply in May and June as the pent-up demand accumulated during lockdown was unleashed on the industry.
“The first half of July has seen activity levels accelerate further and this looks set to continue given the stamp duty holiday announced by the Chancellor last week.
“Clearly there remains a lot of economic uncertainty but whatever the short-term obstacles may be, there is no doubt that the government is very focused on getting all of our lives back on track; equally, history tells us that property will bounce back and so engaging in the sector should always be seen as a medium to long-term activity.”