Selling your home at Christmas

You might think putting your home on the market in December wouldn't be a good idea, who would try to sell a house over the festive period? Well, savvy home movers because the property market remains very active at this time of the year nowadays.

For a few years now national property portals and local estate agents alike have seen massive spikes in online traffic on Boxing Day. With viewings and offers taking place right up to Christmas Eve in some cases, it can be a great time to buy and sell.

Admittedly during December, the number of available properties for sale decreases, but this reduces competition between sellers and instead increases the competition among buyers. If you’re in an area like Bristol with a high level of competition between buyers, this could lead to very favourable offers. Another advantage is that buyers who are looking at this time of year are generally pretty serious about buying something, and this could lead to a quick sale. Most buyers looking at this time want to be able to move in as soon as they can in the New Year. Let's take a closer look at buying and selling over the Christmas period.

An online presence is vital

If you are selling your home at any time then of course it needs to be listed on property portals and with your selling agent. Christmas is a busy time for families, so if you prefer not to actively market your property in December, your selling agent can refrain from actual viewings until after the New Year. But it is vital your property is available to view online - people will have more free time and will browse online listings whilst on holiday. You need to be visible on the 26th of December at the latest. Rightmove says that Boxing Day is their busiest all year, more recent statistics have shown that the busiest days of the year for property portals are the days immediately following Christmas and Boxing Day, the momentum stays through to the middle of January before returning to normal levels. 

Motivated To Move 

People who are looking to move in December and January are committed to moving quickly. If someone is house hunting around Christmastime, it generally means they are motivated to buy quickly. The speculative, less-motivated viewings decrease as people are busy with Christmas and staying in from the bad weather and shorter days.

Think about photography 

If you’re thinking of making the most of the Christmas attention, think ahead. Try and instruct your estate agent prior to putting up all of the Christmas decorations, at Ocean estate agents we are always happy to prepare all marketing materials in advance at any time of year, but especially in December.

But if it's time for Christmas decorations prior to your selling agent arriving, maybe use them a little more sparingly this year. As you'll see from our preparing your home for marketing blogs, we generally advise simplifying living spaces, an overabundance of new decorations could detract from the property's best features and not allow the room sizes to be appreciated. This is a serious consideration but nothing that can't be overcome by a little planning and expert photography. It's just a matter of finding the right balance between holiday spirit and a spacious living room. That being said, a tasteful warm and cosy winter and festive feel could be very appealing and help secure a great offer from discerning buyers.

Be ready for the New Year rush 

In the New Year, there will be even more property coming to market and people looking to buy and sell. All of the online enquiries will now be booked viewings if your property is still available, if you didn't secure a buyer in December then you may very soon. If you're looking to buy you may now or soon will be 'proceedable' which is crucial in a busy market. Time to also view property for sale as you should be in a much better position to secure your next home, an exciting to start to the new year indeed. 

Don't wait until spring

So as you can see, it is certainly not essential to wait until Spring to sell. You may be aware of the somewhat frenetic Bristol property market over recent years - all of the year-round, but we do find many sellers think they should wait a few months into a new year. Not the case as that can inevitably lead to more supply and more competition for sellers, whereas over the Christmas season, there is less supply and still high demand. By selling your home over the Christmas season, you are also likely to achieve a better selling price than you would when trying to sell against the flurry of stock in the spring market.

If you are considering selling now (or indeed at any time) do feel free to get in touch with any questions at all, or click here to arrange a free, no-obligation market appraisal.

Mon 15 Nov 2021