It has started – have you noticed? – there are signs that people have started to decorate their homes for the festive season, the Christmas ads are on TV and the cheesy Christmas tunes are filling our stores. You may not be ready to hang the tinsel just yet, but if you are thinking of selling your home in the new year then you need to act now. But why? It is November and the new year is weeks away, surely you can get all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the celebration of the end of 2021 out of the way before you start to consider placing your home on the market? You may decide to think again when you have read our reasoning.
You could miss out
This has certainly been a year of two halves! where the number of properties for sale was unbelievably high up until the end of June and the closure of the Stamp Duty holiday window, followed by record low stock, yet continuing record buyer demand. Yet even in this sellers’ market you can still miss out if your home isn’t visible online for the busiest season of the year. Whilst some of us are trying to put together our kids’ latest toys or nodding off stuffed full of Christmas dinner and chocolate, millions of us are spending our time looking for a new home.
Rightmove has reported that there was a 50% increase in the number of people scrolling through their website on Boxing Day last year compared with the year before. This post-Christmas surge has actually become the norm and traditionally the days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day see the highest number of daily visits to Rightmove all year and as a result, at Maurice Kilbride, we like to get sellers prepared so we can launch marketing their home to hit this influx of buyers.
“As soon as Christmas Day is out of the way there’s a boom in people searching for property on Boxing Day, perhaps with time available during the holiday season and the resolve to enjoy their next Christmas in new surroundings. That is likely to push prices higher again and increase the competition from other buyers. Some of those additional buyers will also be new sellers who have held back from launching their property to market until this Boxing Day buyer boom, judging it to be a good time to sell and to move in 2022,” states Rightmove’s Director of Property Data, Tim Bannister.
No time to waste
Whether you’re happy for your home to be marketed now or prefer to wait for the post-Christmas rush, we want to get things moving straight away. At this time of year, we operate our annual “Do not disturb” campaign, which means we prep everything up to market your home, put it on the property portals and our own website – but hold back any potential viewings until after the festive break, but at least your home is being exposed to the widest potential buying audience!
Buyers want to be able to see your home, and as soon as that tree goes up and your decorations start to impede every room, as beautiful and cosy as your home may be, your home will be hidden. Room sizes can feel distorted due to the festive décor – once a large airy space can now feel a little snug, and those beautiful features that are the focal point of your home start to blend into the background. Therefore, it is essential that we create all your marketing materials now, before you are rushing to hang those Christmas lights. Buyers will be able to view your home online as it as and, what’s more, your marketing will not date. Having Christmas photos may look lovely at this time of year, but come January when we head back to normality, those images will already be starting to look dated and can put buyers off as a result.
What should you do?
The first thing is to arrange a free valuation on your property – you may not just want our opinion but also that of a couple of other agents so you can compare. You want to choose the agent who will provide you with the best experience, service, and communication. It isn’t just about finding you a buyer, but also ensuring that the sale completes as smoothly as possible. A good agent will take the weight of the sales process off your shoulders and iron out any hurdles, leaving you to dream about how you will decorate your new home.
Be clear
This is a busy time, we are all juggling many hats, and even those who can boast to have done all their Christmas shopping will still have lists of things they want to get done. Be clear: think about when you want the marketing of your home to begin and when you will start to accept viewings, again think of our “do not disturb campaign”
If you wish marketing to start before Christmas, be prepared for buyers wanting to view your home. So, it is important to be clear when you will accept viewings up until and a date in the New Year to recommence active viewings and communicate that clearly to your agent.
As we have mentioned it is the period between Christmas and New Year that sends property website servers into a frenzy, so if you want this Christmas just for you and your family, then do not disturb, could work a treat for you. Request your home be marketed to hit this busy time so you can tap into all those incredibly keen buyers eager to move into their new home in 2022.
On another note!
With inflation rising rapidly and increasing uncertainty swirling around interest rates, there are a number of scenarios where possibly there will be fewer buyers looking and more people selling as a result of an interest rate rise, which of course could take some of the heat out of the property market, which may not be a bad thing for many, but for those wanting to maximise what they can achieve from their own property, it might be advisable to consider bringing your plans forward in 2022.
On the move
It is funny how the thought of a new year, a new beginning, drives so many people to want that new beginning to be in a new home. If you see your 2022 within different surroundings, then get in touch with Patrick, Joe or Maurice today so we can ensure that you can enjoy Christmas and truly have something to celebrate in the New Year. Call us on 0161 428 3663, book a valuation online via our website Book a FREE valuation or maybe pop into our festive office on Cheadle High Street for a chat and maybe a mince pie!
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