Christmas could be the best time to sell your home

It’s easy to see why some homeowners believe that this is the worst possible time of year to put a property on the market.Their reasoning: “Why bother when most people are frantically busy and consumed by thoughts of Christmas?” and that old chestnut “I’ll wait until Spring when the garden looks better”.The same logic is applied when those with homes for sale put a moratorium on marketing and viewings in December and January. Some might even wait until the Spring before resuming their quest for a buyer.And yet, delaying a sale and suspending marketing over the festive period may not be a good idea. Not only is it one of the busiest times for property portals, this year the housing market is suffering a severe shortage of stock, which means that the odds are in a seller’s favour.According to Rightmove, traffic to the website starts to rise from Boxing Day onwards. Last Christmas, page views increased by 231 per cent between Christmas Day and January 2 and the busiest day was December 30.Many of those stuffed with food and free from work turn their thoughts to a brighter future and a new home.Rightmove’s property expert Miles Shipside said: “As we move into December we see people start to get distracted by turkey and tinsel but once the celebrations are in full swing it doesn’t take long before traffic rises again.”This Winter, the upcoming General Election and Brexit concerns have diminished the number of homes for sale. This means that if your property is sensibly priced it could stand out to those fishing in what is undoubtedly a smaller pond.Edward Stoyle, Head of Residential Sales at Carter Jonas York, says: “Brexit and the General Election are exacerbating the problem of low stock at this time of year. As a result levels are at a five-year low and not just in York.“This is fuelling a spike in sales. It is all very unexpected but supply and demand rule the roost in the world of estate agency..“The usual principles apply. Buyers keep registering and wanting to move regardless of the time of year and they really don’t mind what people’s gardens look like. If you want to sell but think it’s a bad time - it’s not.”

Good time to launch or reduce the price

Helen Carter, manager of Dale Eddison, Skipton, agrees and says that her sales figures considerably increased last month compared to the same time last year.“I put this down to the Brexit extension and the fact that people are tired of waiting for Brexit to happen and want to move.”She also warns sellers not to remove their homes from the market over Christmas and New Year.“We cover the Dales and we see an increase of visitors to the area over the festive season. They often drive round and look at villages of interest to see what kind of properties are for sale so it is important that vendors don’t take their properties off the market during this period.“We have also found that, due to the low stock levels, buyers who need to move will start looking at properties that have been on the market a little longer and consider these more positively. So, again, I would urge vendors to think about the festive season in a positive light.”Helen adds that Christmas is a good time to put a home on the market or reduce the price of one already for sale.“You catch the festive peak in viewings and Rightmove and other property portals alert would-be buyers when a property is new to the market and when it is reduced by at least two per cent of its former asking price. Clearly, this alert is valuable as it is likely to bring attention to a property. That’s why many agents will launch a new property either over the Christmas period or early in January when they expect interest levels to be higher, the same applies to price reductions.”

Glad tidings

Meanwhile, Andrew Beadnall of Beadnall Copley estate agents believes that there could be tidings of joy for the new year.“For the last three and a half years, people who would have normally moved have been holding off due to a fear of the unknown.“As well as Christmas parties, this December brings a general election and the very real possibility that for the first time in over three years there may finally be some certainty as to when and how Brexit will happen.“This will bring much needed confidence back to the market. With both interest rates and unemployment rates at record lows, the only thing missing from making the current property market a buoyant one is confidence.“After a few years of a faltering housing market, the New Year brings green shoots of optimism and definite reasons to be cheerful.“The pent up demand from buyers that has been building will start to be released once some confidence is restored and, as a result, more property will be brought to the market with sellers seeing that there is a demand to be met.”