So, what do you think of when you think of Easter? Obviously this is one of the most important weekends of the year for the Christian faith and churches throughout the country will be celebrating the life of Jesus Christ.

For others it is a time for munching our chocolate Easter eggs and enjoying family get-togethers.

And then for many it is simply about enjoying four days without work… (not to mention, of course, the little matter of the royal wedding providing an excuse for a street party).

And in the property world it’s going to be a very busy weekend indeed – one of the busiest of the year, as house-hunters use the holiday period searching for a new home.

“Easter is a key time, it is a very busy weekend for estate agents,” says Andrew Billington, York branch manager of W H Brown, “perhaps the big weekend of the year. People will set aside time to get out and have a look at houses.”

And nowhere will be busier than York. This, apparently, is a time when people who want to move to our city take four days to combine a holiday break with finding their dream home in their dream spot.

“We know we will have a lot of people relocating to York who will use the weekend as time when they will come and have a look at what is on the market.”

Relocations, says Andrew, are a significant feature in the York property scene at present. Around 25 per cent of the homes W H Brown have sold in the last month have been to people from outside the area.

Clever folk that they are, W H Brown have set out to capitalise on the Easter interest and have some 40 properties taking part in an “open viewing” weekend.

Andrew explains: “All of the properties taking part will be featured in our advert in the Property Press and all will have a specific day and time when people can go and have a look around without having to make an appointment.

“It means that house-hunters have a good chance to look around as many properties as they need – and that our vendors will be able to hopefully attract a lot of interest.”

Sounds like a jolly good idea – you can check out the houses featuring in the open weekend in the W H Brown advert inside this week’s Property Press.

Other agents, too, are expecting a busy weekend. James Naish of Naish says that this time of year overall is a busy one for the property market – and this year is looking buoyant.

“It is not just Easter,” James says, “but this time of year generally – and we are a lot busier now than we were last year or the year before.”

And Scott Anscomb, of Your Move Anscombs, agrees. It’s not just Easter, he says, it’s the time of year generally. “It’s Spring and we are getting better weather, the gardens are looking better and everywhere is looking nicer. The sunshine helps, too.

“It’s this time of year when people start saying ‘wouldn’t it be lovely to have a bigger garden or an extra room’. It’s a natural time for people to look for change.”

An ideal home for an Easter egg hunt

Here is one of the Easter eggstra-special homes W H Brown are presenting during their “open viewing weekend”.

It is a beautifully presented four-bedroom semi-detached property in Wetherby Road, Acomb. It is, says York branch manager Andrew Billington, a real surprise package.

From the outside it looks like a nice enough property – but the minute you step inside you discover why this is smarter than the average semi… It features a superb extended kitchen to the rear, an extended master bedroom, an attic conversion and a brilliant, bigger than average garden.

“The garden is ideal for an Easter egg hunt,” says Andrew, with an eye for the topical term. “It has lots of little parts, walkways and different little sections. There is a large lawn, paved patio areas and lots of plants and shrubbery. And the best thing is, you wouldn’t suspect it was there until you see for yourself.”

Indeed, as our pictures show, the garden is a little gem. The house itself, too, has an awful lot to offer. On the ground floor there is dining room to the front, with an archway through to the living room that in turn has patio doors opening out onto the garden. There is a delightful breakfast kitchen with a contemporary range of wall and base units and a range of integrated appliances, including fridge-freezer and dishwasher. There is a ground-floor cloakroom and utility room and, as if that wasn’t enough to be going on with, there is also a smart conservatory (ideal for enjoying views of the garden).

On the first floor there are three bedrooms (one with en-suite bathroom with walk-in power shower unit) and the family bathroom.

And there is more bedroom space too, as on the second floor there is an interesting, irregular-shaped room with windows to side and rear and an en-suite bathroom.

A real surprise package, then, for which W H Brown are seeking £329,950. This home will be open to view on Monday, April 25, between 10am and 2pm.