22 Nov Preparing your home for sale in the New Year
If you’re reading this, then chances are you have had a conversation about moving home in the New Year. The final decisions usually read something like “Let’s get Christmas out the way and then look into it in the New Year”.
Traditionally, big plans are made during the Christmas period; you sit around your dining table making plans for the New Year; places to travel (Covid allowing), resolutions to make, and even moving home.
Having said that, we have often sold houses on the 23rd and 24th of December, and with many housing developers having their year-end on 31st December – you might be able to land yourself a great deal on a newly built home before the new year begins.
So, if you are thinking of selling up, we’ve got a few reasons you might want to consider getting a head start for 2022; and, if you’re looking to move to the area, you should definitely check out our properties for sale in Virginia Water and the surrounding areas and call on 01344 843000 or email us.
The Boxing Day Boom
Getting your property ready for sale before Christmas could give you a head start on the New Year market and enable you to benefit from the Boxing Day Boom! According to RightMove there is usually a surge in search traffic to their site on Boxing Day each year; in fact, Boxing Day 2020 visits were 54% higher than the year before.
January is always a busy month for estate agents with many new properties coming to market in the last week and into early February as it takes time to book photography, valuations and to get properties onto systems, etc.
Getting your property ready to go live in the week between Christmas and New Year could take advantage of some of the 51 million visitors to the RightMove portal that they experienced last year.
Dated Photographs
If you want your property to go onto the market at the beginning of January, you will need to make sure you have your photography done before your Christmas decorations go up. As we close in on the holiday period, demand increases for photography and the writing of particulars and so, starting your preparation now will enable your agent to spend more time on your listing than they will be able to in the coming months.
This also mitigates the risk of creating a bottleneck as some people take their holiday allowance and wind down their hours as Christmas approaches. While we prepare as best we can with our holiday allocation, it can sometimes cause some minor delays, so get in early.
Prepare now, sell later
Just because your home is prepared and ready to go on the market, doesn’t mean that you have to start accepting viewings right away. The property vendor’s equivalent to getting the Christmas shopping in November, it will stand you in good stead to have your property go live at the time of your choosing.
Most estate agents are happy to be flexible when it comes to organising the start of your viewings. While your property might go live on Boxing Day, you could ask for viewings to start in the first weeks of January so you hit the new year market running.
Positioning
Preparing your property for sale in time for the first week of January could put you in a great position to secure an offer and be ready to move on your next home as soon as one comes to market. We have spoken about making yourself a premium buyer in previous blogs.
In today’s market, vendors have their pick of buyers, so you need to make sure you’re the most attractive proposition when you make your offer. A buyer who already has an offer and finance in place is more attractive to a vendor than someone who hasn’t yet put their house on the market.
Get in Touch
If you are thinking of moving to the area or buying a property to rent, make sure you take a look at our amazing catalogue of properties for sale in Virginia Water and the surrounding areas.
If you’d like to speak to someone about properties to let in Virginia Water, a member of our expert team would be happy to help. You can call us on 01344 843000 or email us. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.