The time of year you put your house on the market can play an enormous part in whether or not your house will sell fast. Be aware of when the ‘quiet times’ or ‘off-seasons’ for the market are and consider whether it’s paramount to put your property up for sale during these times.
Putting your house on the market during the ‘off-season’ can be detrimental for two reasons. The first problem is, if the market is too quiet and your property fails to sell quickly because of that, the appeal of it being new to the market can be lost. Potential buyers may start to think there is something wrong with it because it hasn’t sold. Secondly, after a few weeks of a property being on the estate agent’s books, it risks getting neglected by them if for too long it goes on without getting any interest.
So when does a house sell fast?
It can vary considerably as to when a house sells quickly. But seasonal trends have emerged over the years.
Selling in Spring
Spring is traditionally considered as the best time of year to sell a house. The better weather from mid-March to late June and gardens coming into bloom can show a property at their best. With the milder weather helping boost people’s moods, buyers are more prepared to go house hunting. Families who are looking to move to a new area with children of school-age may also choose Springtime to start house hunting, to coincide their move with the summer school holidays.
Selling in Summer
High summer, in particular, can be a poor time to sell. There is often a slowdown of activity during these months as more people focus on taking holidays and the school holidays during this time. This culminates around August and the market dies.
Selling in Autumn
After Spring, Autumn is the next best time to sell a house fast. Once the school term starts and people are back from their summer holidays the market starts to pick up again. However, don’t leave it beyond the second week of November as buyers tend to go into hibernation. Almost nobody wants to move over Christmas, so don’t leave bringing your property to the market too late.
Selling in Winter
Winter is definitely not the ideal time to sell. Christmas and the cold weather really are detrimental to the property market. At this time of year, people are usually focused on Christmas shopping and spending time with their families rather than house hunting. In the days immediately after Christmas however, there can be a spike in people looking at property online. It’s true; the New Year brings a lot of ‘new leaf’ syndrome. Lots of sellers come to market in early January having sat on the side-lines over December.
But what if I need to sell a house now?
Always price your house competitively against the competition. Choose the most suitable estate agent for the job and make sure you put extra effort into the presentation of your property as the appearance of your house still takes precedence. There are buyers out there 365 days of the year, so if you really need to sell your property during the ‘quiet time’, then you must weigh up the pros and cons and decide whether now is the right time for you.
Remember, it only takes one buyer to successfully sell a house!
