7 Reasons to sell your Cheadle home this Christmas

A Cheadle Estate Agent telling you to sell your home – surely not? Actually, this is not an attempt to grab business, but a bit of friendly advice to say that if you are thinking of making that move and waiting till January to get things started, it may be more advantageous to get going before the festivities start. And if you’re worried about disturbing your family festivities, then many agents, Maurice Kilbride included, can even operate a “Do not disturb” campaign over the holidays, marketing your property throughout the Christmas period ready for new year viewings and getting you off to a flying start. Of course, if you have a few mince pies to dish out to would be house hunters, you can show you house throughout the holidays as well. The choice is yours.

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, people are scrambling about to get their last-minute presents, food and drink and prepare to hopefully enjoy a wonderful festive break with loved ones, hopefully putting the pandemic behind them – for now at least! 

For us Estate Agents, it is also a time of year when many people who have their house on the market debate whether they should take it off and re-list in the New Year. And then there are others who haven’t yet committed to putting their home on the market tend to put it on the back burner and wait until after the break to start the ball rolling. But is that the best decision? Here in our new blog, we make the case for why it is still worth getting your home on the market now, so you can make a more informed decision on what’s best for you 

1. It is still a seller’s market

Demand is still far outstripping supply and the market in Cheadle remains white hot! See our recent blog on house prices, activity and trends Cheadle Property Market Update – If you have a well presented house, then any Estate Agent should not only be able to sell it quickly but achieve a premium price, putting you one step ahead of your competitors for anything new coming on the market in January and beyond. 

2. Get ahead of the competition

The property portal Rightmove, says it has recently seen a 14% jump in the number of homeowners starting the selling process and booking a valuation of their home, and this is across the country, including Cheadle. We have seen a 25% increase in the number of people using our own online valuation tool, so it would suggest quite a high number of people are considering a sale. If they all come to the market in January, it might make it harder to achieve a premium price or a quick sale.

3. There are buyers looking online over the Christmas period

It’s a fact that more home buyers look online over Christmas. Rightmove reported a record 230% spike in online property views between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day last year or to put it another way 51 million visits to the website. It therefore makes a huge amount of sense to have your property online at a time when the highest number of potential buyers of the year will see it – even if you put off your viewings till after the holiday season.

4. The buyers are always serious buyers

Let’s be honest, if you didn’t have to move at this time of year, many of us wouldn’t, so anyone house hunting in December is likely to be a committed and motivated buyer. In fact in the 25 years, I’ve been an Estate Agent in Cheadle, I can tell you that anyone that contacts us for viewings over Christmas is looking to move as soon as the New Year starts. 

5. Reach new potential buyers 

At this time anyway, it looks like we will be able to travel to visit friends, relatives and loved ones up and down the country this Christmas. This might include visiting unfamiliar areas that if you are considering a move, you might be able to check out whilst you are visiting and broaden the options for your next home.  We recently sold a property in Cheadle to a couple at Christmas who were visiting family in the area and just happened to be walking through the village when they came across our office. They stopped to look in the window, saw a property that caught their eye, popped in and arranged a viewing for straight after Christmas. They made an offer and bought the property. Prior to that walk in Cheadle, they were thinking of Sale/Altrincham or Timperley. 

6. Cheap money

Whilst mortgages remain at a historic low, it remains a good time to buy and benefit from the savings that can be made. 

7. Avoid a potential rise in mortgage rate

Mortgages may not remain low into the new year and there is the imminent threat of interest rates rising in the New Year, so fixing your mortgage before then for a period of 3 to 5 years may make that new home more affordable.  If those who wait find they are having to pay more for their mortgage then there could be an impact on buyer demand, potentially slowing down your sale.

There are no right or wrong ways to go about selling your home at this time of year, but if you are looking to get ahead of the game and keep your future borrowing costs down, having your home on the market with a reputable estate Agent now would seem like a pretty sensible idea! 

If you would like to arrange for a free, no obligation valuation of your home, please call Patrick, Joe or Maurice on 0161 428 3663, e-mail sales@mkiea.co.uk, book one of our three valuation options here Book a FREE valuation or why not pop into our office on Cheadle High Street for a chat and maybe a coffee, glass of mulled wine and the obligatory Christmas mince pie.