IF you’re thinking of waiting until January to put your house on the market, you could be making a big mistake, according to an estate agent.
According to online property marketplace Rightmove, Boxing Day marks the beginning of the 2023 buying season.
Estate agent Matt Marsh, founder of Hilsea-based agency ROK Marsh, has found that December 26 is the best day to list a property and that sellers should consider this before opting to wait until the new year.
He said: ‘A lot of people tend to think that January is the best time to sell a property as it’s the new year and that people won’t be looking over Christmas, but really it’s obvious that the period between Christmas and New Year is the prime time.
‘More people are off work, they’re at home and spending more time on their phones browsing. If they’re looking to buy in the new year, they’re going to be checking out the market while they can, rather than when they’re back into the swing of things in January. Don’t worry about people coming round to view your house while you’ve still got family over or are recovering from the Christmas chaos, either, as they’ll most likely book in for viewings in the new year anyway.’
Matt says that people should consider listing their homes early for a number of reasons and said: ‘If you can get in there early, you could find a buyer before other sellers have even had any viewings. There will be less competition, too, as most people will be listing in January, so you’ll have a head start.’
Last year, visits to Rightmove were 54 per cent higher than the previous year, with more than 51 million potential buyers visiting the site during the period between Christmas and New Year.
But sellers should be cautious when getting their property ready to list, as things such as Christmas décor could date their listing and have a negative effect on the marketing.
Matt said: ‘You don’t want Christmas decorations to date your listing, so it’s worth taking photos now with decorations up, but then getting fresh ones in the new year once they’re down – that way you’re not giving the impression that your house has been on the market for a while and the listing still looks fresh.’
