It’s a well-known fact that the busiest time for the housing market when it comes to selling is in the spring and autumn, ahead of the winter. Summer is often a no go given the holidays and fewer buyers on the lookout for their next home.
However, if the last two years are anything to go by, trends are changing and now really could be the perfect time to market your property…
Quality Rather Than Quantity
While there’s a preconception there are less buyers around during the summer holidays, this doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be interest in your home. In fact, with the way the market has been this past year or so, there are plenty of buyers out there year-round looking for their next move. Also, it’s more likely you will get serious buyers – while you may get 5 viewings instead of 10 for example, these could all be ready to proceed, serious purchasers.
Summer Shine
Let’s face it, in the UK our homes really do come to life in the spring and summer time. In the summer particularly we are likely going to be making full use of any outdoor space with flowers in bloom and freshly cut grass - and a potential buyer can visualise their summers spent enjoying the area.
Prepare for the Autumn Bounce
If you’re not so keen to put your property on the market in the summer, but you do like to be super organised, then why not get ready for the autumn bounce now? Get your marketing photos taken on a sunny day -the property will certainly look more attractive if there is sunlight pouring in rather than a dismal autumn day! Then when you are ready to market, your agent will simply hit the go live button.
Evening Viewings
This leads on from the good weather thread; with the longer summer evenings it’ll be far easier to have viewings after work for viewers that can’t get out during the day.
More Family Time
For buyers with younger children, the school summer holidays might actually be the perfect time to look for a new home. If they are taking time off, but not away they will be more flexible to do viewings over July and August. And it’s a chance for the whole family to see the property.
Move before Christmas
While the property marketing is booming when it comes to sales, they are however taking longer to complete than we’ve seen before. A usual 8–12-week sales process is now taking more like 16-24 weeks. Most buyers looking in September are looking to move before Christmas, so with the time periods extending, it’s worth getting ahead of the market now.
