Many people think that trying to move house over the festive period is a mistake but it’s not true: people have more free time and motivation to make a change in the New Year, so it can be a great time to buy and sell. The team at Bellhouse Estates share their top tips:
Make your property visible online
If you’re selling your home needs to be listed and visible on all the major property portals (like Rightmove) over Christmas. People have more free time and will start to browse properties online over the festive season.
Bellhouse Estates Ltd’s Kathy Horton says, “We are listing a number of properties now because statistically, property portals show that there is a substantial spike on Boxing Day. We appreciate Christmas is a busy time for families, so we operate a ‘Do Not Disturb’ policy, that is clicking the property on the market just before Christmas but refraining from viewings until after the New Year.”
Statistics have shown over recent years that the busiest days of the year for internet traffic on property portals are the days immediately following Christmas and Boxing Day.
But why is this period so busy? Lindsay Laight say “All those lovely new phones and iPads. It is also one of the few holidays that the family will be all together and most likely at home so any discussions about a move can be had, viewings can be done with all the decision makers present. And with a coming New Year, what better than a new home?”
Winter weather
Sometimes stepping into a bright, warm, cosy home on a bitterly cold day or drizzly evening can have just as positive an effect as viewing a property on a warm summer day. Kathy says:
“If you walk into a property in the depths of winter, when the sky is moody and it’s dark outside and you love it, imagine how much you will love it in the summer? If in winter you can see yourself living there, it’s a keeper.”
Always arrange viewings in the daylight. If you arrange a viewing after 6pm, you won’t get the true experience of the property, especially if there are grounds to explore.
Motivated to move
Those people who are looking to move in December and January are committed to moving quickly.
Just as importantly, the quality of the buyer is higher than at any other time of the year. If someone is out house hunting around Christmastime, it generally means they are motivated to buy quickly. There also tends to be less properties for sale around this time of year and so competition to compete against for a buyer’s attention.”
Think about photography
If you’re thinking of making the most of the Christmas attention, think ahead! Instruct your agent prior to putting up any Christmas decorations, and ask for some Christmas shots which can be taken off after the Christmas period, so pictures always look up to date.
Ready for the New Year rush
January 2nd is one of the busiest days for us at Bellhouse Estates. Many sellers hold off until after the New Year and miss out on the busy online searching that takes place between Christmas and New Year but it’s worth getting in early!
Kathy says “Given the time it takes for an estate agent to prepare the marketing material for a property including taking photos, preparing floorplans and commissioning an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), we advise our clients to actually start the process now so that they are ahead of the competition and ready to take advantage of these peak periods.”
The property market is still active at Christmas
Take our word for it: people are still looking to move, even on Christmas Eve!
Lindsay says: “We have found that year on year we have improved with agreed sales figures in December, The housing market does not stop even for Santa, anyone on the market at this festive time of year will want to sell and more likely to take clients seriously.
“Having sold property at 4.30pm on Christmas Eve before now, I have no hesitation in recommending that potential sellers should place their property on the market sooner rather than later.
Christmas is a lovely warm, magical time of year to sell or to view potential properties on your wish list!
Bellhouse Estates is based in the heart of Ramsden Bellhouse and is a Member of the Guild of Property Professionals which has over 800 independent property specialists offering the best advice.
For more information and property buying and selling tips, contact Abby Knight on 07917 003695 or abby@abbyknight.co.uk
