The lender’s Movingimproving index revealed that 22 per cent of buyers were willing to buy a property in the 12 week run-up to Christmas, while 8 per cent were willing to move in December.
However, movers within the South East had to wait the longest to get their offer accepted and completed, with 24 per cent forced to wait between four and six months, compared to 8 per cent in Scotland.
A&L in its Movingimproving index also indicated that borrowers had made sacrifices in order to save during the festive period, with 10 per cent having saved to cover their seasonal spending. 53 per cent of respondents suggested that the upheaval and expense would not affect their seasonal spending.
Stephen Leonard, director of mortgages at A&L, said: “It is very encouraging to see many people are planning ahead to budget for their moving costs and saving in advance to ensure it doesn’t have a big impact on their Christmas.”
Thomas Reeh, chief executive of blackandwhite.co.uk, commented: “All the activity that will happen over Christmas will already have happened in terms of new business written. It will be interesting to see how consumer spending is over the next few weeks as that’s a key indicator of people’s confidence.”
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