The festive period can be a cracking time to sell property

With wishes coming true for sellers and buyers, how Christmassy is that?

Posted on Friday, December 9, 2022

The local property market is very much still active. And it’s sure to ramp up over the next 3 weeks. As families come together and relax, conversations turn to plans. 

Time off work means more opportunities for couples to browse property portals together, and also more time to go on viewings together in the daytime.

The busiest days of the year for property internet traffic, according to recent statistics are the days immediately following Christmas and Boxing Day, with many estate agents actually receiving enquiries on Christmas Day.

There’re other factors too, that make this a great time to be thinking about property moves.

If someone is house hunting at a time when the majority of us are intentionally cluttering up our homes with tinsel, and ‘just one more string’ of warm glowy lights, it means they’re motivated; driven by a determination, unimpeded by living trees being brought inside homes to take up around a third of the living space.

The holidays are a busy time of year for everyone trying to travel anywhere, with people being off work, rushing to get things finished to be off work, travelling or as this year will show, striking. So anyone viewing a property right now is doing it because they’ve decided they want to move and they know the area they want to move to. 

These motivated buyers keep the market afloat. And their decisiveness extends to the offers being put forward on properties, with a viewing-to-sales ratio much higher right now, than at other times of the year.

A few tips here for all parties. (Though that is next week’s blog)

Buyers’ Tips

• Engage help. It’s free with Estates East. Beyond the properties listed on the portals we know what’s in the pipeline and we may be able to help you find the kind of home you really want. You don’t have to do this alone

• It’s possibly the least competitive 2-week period to put an offer in. Worth noting.

• You’ll find our properties across Rightmove, Zoopla and all social platforms too, so keep a nice wide search to give yourself plenty of options

It’s worth noting that people who have their homes up for sale at Christmas are also motivated to move. It’s win:win for buyers and sellers alike.

Sellers’ Tips

• Try and get your photos done before you put your decs up, so they don’t look dated post Christmas

• Where possible book viewings in before the night draws in. Stepping into a bright, warm home on a cold day can be as positive an experience as viewing a property on a warm day in Summer. So create a warm welcome

• Get the decorations up… but not too many. Just think how bananas you can go on Christmas next year, in your new home!

• January traffic on Rightmove is always much higher than in December, so listing your property before Christmas means you’ll have a far greater chance of buyers seeing it

• There’s a momentum to buying and selling at this time of year, so pitch your property at the right price to make the most of that, talk to us about this for advice

We’re here to help you, whatever your situation. 

Good luck in making the most of this magical time in the property market.