When To Sell...
Date Published 11 December 2018
Ask any expert when the best time to sell your property is and the answer will almost certainly be spring. The season is a firm favourite amongst house hunters as the weather improves and the prospect of ‘new beginnings' inspires thoughts of a move. However, if you're considering waiting until spring before listing your property you could be missing a trick! Indeed, you might want to take a closer look at the festive season.
Rightmove says straight after Christmas day people start thinking about property. It saw a 228% increase in pages viewed on Rightmove between Christmas Day and the 2nd January 2018. On Christmas Day itself in 2017, there were 11 million page visits while the 2nd of January saw 38 million pages viewed.
Of course, it's not really surprising that the end of December is a prime time for house hunters to start their search. Most of us are off work so have the time to browse these sites for our next property. And there's no better time for a new start than the New Year.
'Homeowners often decide to sell or let their properties over Christmas but do nothing about it until January – big mistake,' says Jeremy Leaf, a former RICS Residential Chairman & independent North London estate agent. 'Many people make moving one of their new year's resolutions, especially if intending to change jobs early in 2019 so often consider buying or renting in December.
'The Christmas holiday is also a time for visiting relatives and friends in unfamiliar places which gives an opportunity for prospective purchasers to check possible moves away from their present area. You may not want prospective purchasers viewing your property while finishing turkey leftovers but some agents (including my firm!) will be open every day except the public holidays if you're up for it.
'December this year has been busier for us than expected as buyers take advantage of more competitive rents and prices as well as very low mortgage rates – despite Brexit!'
So how can you capitalise on the increase in interested buyers? Call us today on 01752 206040
