Is January the Best Time to Sell My House?

With the pandemic ongoing, you might be wondering whether you should try and sell your house this coming January. In this article, we’ll take a look at the facts, exploring relevant market trends and considering the key factors that influence sale price.

When’s The Best Time To Sell?

To start with, it’s worth noting that studies indicate selling your home in the Spring is the best time to try and sell a property. This time of year makes your property look bright and fresh (especially if you have a well-kept garden) and you have more hours of daylight in which to schedule prospective viewings. The second-best time to sell is likely Autumn, which offers similarly long days and also brings consistently flattering light as well as beautiful colours.

Does This Mean Selling In The Winter Is A Bad Idea?

Generally, experts agree that selling your home in Autumn or Winter months are amongst the worst times of year to try and sell your property. This is largely because the colder weather discourages in-person viewings, though it’s also likely that Christmas and New Year festivities keep many people distracted from house hunting during December and January.

Further, January sees people carefully watching their spending after festive indulgences and gift-giving, making them less likely to shell out on a new property. And finally, the spirit of “starting afresh” makes people keener to sell their old properties in January, potentially saturating the market.

Will Covid-19 Change The January Market?

However, with the pandemic encouraging more online viewings and seriously limiting everyone’s social lives, you might wonder if the above advice about Winter still holds.

In particular, is January still a bad time to sell your house, even when we’re dealing with a pandemic? Unfortunately, our best evidence still shows that viewings are likely to be at a low, with the market slowing down substantially.

Does My Property’s Location Matter?

If you’re trying to sell a property in January, you might wonder if different parts of the UK enjoy more lucrative winter months. Sadly, there is not enough diversity in the UK to cause substantial contrasts in different locations.

If I Have to Sell In January, How Can I Make it A Success?

If you absolutely need to shift your property in January, there are a few smart things you can focus on in order to make the place sell more quickly:

• Enhance the property’s presentation as much as possible, modernising it, touching up chipped or tired paintwork, and keeping the home clean and tidy throughout.
• Fix anything that’s broken or rundown, though not at huge expense to yourself. Research indicates that the condition of the kitchen and the bathroom have the strongest impact on viewings, so consider focusing your spending on those rooms.
• Make sure you’re working with the right people - a team who wants to help you sell your home as quickly as possible for the highest possible price. Don’t be afraid to shop around to make sure you’re taking the right route.

Should I Consider A Quick Sale For Cash Instead?

Given how hard it is to sell a property in January - especially with the pandemic slowing down the housing market - it’s well worth enlisting the help of a quick cash property buyer like us.

We can take your property off your hands and value it so you can get the right payment. While it won’t be market value, we take care of the entire sale process making sure it goes through successfully in January in spite of the slow market.

Date: 05/01/21