Is 2026 The Year To Buy? 2026 Opens With Most Early-January Listing Since 2018!

The latest information provided by property experts, DataLoft, share just how many properties are available on the market. With plenty of properties available, the average estate agent is overflowing with choice.

What does this mean for prospective home buyers, prospective landlords, and keen sellers? And, most importantly, what does this mean for the Northampton property market?

Here's the facts about how many homes are available for sale in 2026:

• The housing market has started 2026 with the highest number of homes for sale in more than eight years, with the average agent having 32 homes for sale.

  
  

• However, not all of this is new supply. Around one-third of these properties were previously listed in 2025 and have since returned to the market after uncertainty in the final quarter of last year slowed activity.

  
  

• The rise in supply is most evident in southern England, with London listings up 16% year on year and the South East up 9%, as Budget uncertainty delayed sales into 2026.

  
  

• With greater choice for buyers and solid market fundamentals, 12-month sales expectations in the latest RICS survey are at their highest since late 2024.Visualisation: Dataloft by PriceHubble, Source: Zoopla, first 2 weeks of January, RICS.

What does this mean for the Northampton Property Market?

The information is quite interesting, noting how the biggest change takes place southern England, away from Northampton, which is located in the East Midlands. But in our In Your Street series, where we conduct frequent market breakdowns, you can still find ample listings available as well. And in our 10 Years of Northampton Property Sales breakdown, you can find more examples as to the bountiful amount of properties sold within the last 12 months.

It's a bustling market, that's for sure!

Why are so many homes up for sale?

There's a number of factors. Now that the recent budget has passed, people who were waiting to sell their homes now have a more stable market to list their homes on. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon once people realise it won't topple over at the smallest hurdle.

The Renters Right's act is another big reason. A complete reformation of legislation. New laws, new paperwork and more effort are required to be compliant. And, frankly, some landlords either don't have the time, money or interest to keep up, and may find investment opportunities that better suit them.

In short, it's a lot of work being a landlord these days! But it can still be profitable if you're able to put in the work. And there are plenty of great resources available for Landlords, such as the NRLA, or estate agents with specialist services, like Northwood Northampton's Guaranteed Rent service, which guarantees rental income even when a property is vacant.

Additionally, recent DataLoft information suggests that there are more mortgage deals available now than in almost 20 years. A prosperous market with many avid buyers requires a market with many properties for sale -- a yin and yang balance. So it's no wonder that in a time with so many people vying for their dream home, sellers are ready to seize the opportunity and offer up their property.

Buying to Let? How is The Lettings Market In Northampton?

For those continuing their journey as a Landlord, you may be wondering how the market is in Northampton?

In January, the lettings market has been surprisingly strong! The inevitable January-blues certainly did slow some things down, as expected -- the New Year always leaves people starting with less finances than they ended the previous year with -- But despite this, there has been positive growth in the property market. For us at Northwood Northampton, we completed 66% more move-ins than in December.

The market can still be slow in areas -- tenants are hesitant to move with the looming Renters Rights act on the horizon, and Landlords are equally cautious about making any big commitments before proceeding. And for some, this is their excuse to sell their properties and remove tenants. In August 2025, the BBC reported that "More than 11,000 households in England have had their homes repossessed by bailiffs". And eviction specialists, Landlord Action, reported "instructions from landlords to serve eviction notices up 62% year-on-year in September 2025."

The ripple effect this has across the property market is unquantifiable. At a glance, you'll find there are more tenants desperate to move; either to another rental, or beginning the journey to buy their own property. Although in reality, many renters don't see themselves able to leave the rental market, which shows that, despite the increase in Section 21's, there will always be a market for renters. For Landlords willing to sail these new unknown waters of new legislation, this actually makes for a fantastic opportunity, because more properties on the market means more investment opportunities.

Looking for more property market insights? Get in contact with expert Northampton estate agents, Northwood Northampton!

01604 607080

Northampton@Northwooduk.com