Mortgage activity is strengthening according to a Twenty7tec Market Snapshot.
Total mortgage searches reached 1,088,120 in December, down 22.6% compared with November, as activity tailed off over Christmas.
Yet search volumes were 10.75% higher than December 2924.
Residential remortgaging remained the standout activity. Searches totalled 431,990, down 19.05% month on month but up 29.31% year on year, the strongest growth across all residential categories.
First-time buyer purchase searches fell to 199,393 in December, a 24.93% drop compared with November, with year-on-year growth remaining marginal at 0.78%.
Total purchase searches excluding first-time buyers declined 27.39% month on month and were down 3.36% compared with the same period of 2024, indicating ongoing affordability challenges.
Buy-to-let activity followed a similar pattern.
Total buy-to-let searches fell 23.06% month on month to 189,902, although volumes were still 7.35% higher than December 2024.
Compared with November, the decline reflects the broader seasonal slowdown rather than a fundamental shift in investor demand.
Product availability continued to improve over the course of the year, with the total number of mortgage products remaining close to recent highs.
A Twenty7tec spokesperson says the underlying strength of the market is despite the stop-start figures of the past year.
