New Homes Index Q1 2025: A Flying Start for Property Marketing

Justin Stracey Executive Director - Property

10 min read

ClientsIndustryProperty

Space & Time don’t just track trends – we decode them, turning data into actionable insights for property developers ready to scale smarter and faster. Here’s what Q1 had to say.

What Is the New Homes Index?

The New Homes Index (NHI) tracks tens of thousands of high-intent actions each year – like appointment bookings – from over 1,400 live UK developments. It’s the pulse check of the new build property sector, helping developers understand how demand shifts in real-time.

Reporting on Analytics data over extended periods, particularly key events spanning multiple years, can be challenging due to the various changes in how data is tracked on websites or collected in Analytics.

As an example, Consent Mode implementation which can allow for modelled data to fill in gaps in reporting when users opt out of tracking will have happened at various stages for developers over the last 18 months and the levels to which metrics like key events are ‘recovered’ can vary depending on the data available.

S&T can monitor the correct use of your consent management platform and consent mode on Analytics, and other platforms, providing benchmarking and guidance for any improvements.

Q1 2025: An improvement on 2024

Q1 Highlights at a Glance:

Traffic up 36% vs Q1 2024
High Intent Goals up 8%
Q1 started positively, with the momentum picking up from Boxing Day onwards. The changes to the SDLT thresholds were announced on the 30th Oct 2024, which helped mitigate the seasonal tail-off in the build up to Christmas.

Monthly Breakdown: Tax Changes Extend the Surge

From January through April, interest remained strong. The rush to beat the SDLT deadline extended the typical seasonal bounce well past its usual shelf life. And even after the deadline passed, intent remained steady – a clear sign that deeper confidence is returning to the market despite a relatively turbulent economic background.

Regional Roundup: The North West Dominated

Looking across the UK, the picture becomes more interesting.

Every region (except London) saw significant quarter-on-quarter growth
North West: +55% – the strongest performer
Scotland held steady, while London dropped sharply in both views and actions, pulling down the UK average.

Growth areas: North East, Yorkshire, and the Central region led the February-March recovery in page views.

Where the Media Money Went

Developers continued to shift spends towards search and programmatic.

This strategic pivot reflects the broader shift toward performance-driven media buying in property marketing – a trend we expect to accelerate through 2025.

Our Take: The Smart Marketer’s Opportunity

Q1 2025 proves that property marketing is no longer just about following seasonal trends – it’s about capitalising on market moments. With fiscal policy (like SDLT) influencing buyer behaviour and regional differences widening, there’s never been a more crucial time to:

Track real-time intent data
Optimise your CMP and analytics set-up
Tailor your creative messaging

At Space & Time we partner with forward-thinking developers to turn insight into growth. If you’re ready to make the rest of 2025 your biggest year yet, let’s talk.

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