What Is The Best Time Of Year to Sell Your House?

The New Year often sparks off the desire in people to make a fresh start and improve their life in some way. This can often mean changing their environment for something fresh and new by selling their house and moving to a new home.

This desire for change will often see a flurry of activity getting the house prepared to go on the market, and research shows that March is the most popular month for homeowners to put their house on the market.

As people emerge from a cosy winter spent indoors, those looking to move house start booking viewings from March onwards. March through to May are the most popular months for house viewings in the UK, with many families wanting to get into their new homes during the summer.

Spring for selling, summer for moving

It makes a lot of sense for homebuyers to plan a move during the summer because of the warmer weather and longer daylight hours. This also means that buyers looking to move in during the summer will prioritise properties with attractive gardens and outdoor space.

Over the past five years, March has been the best month to sell a house, closely followed by May. The number of new properties coming to the market is also highest in March as there are a good few weeks of warm weather, light evenings for viewings, and optimal conditions for your garden to look beautiful and appealing.

Although you may be hesitant to list your property in the spring because you feel there will be too much competition from other sellers, don't forget that more potential buyers will also compete to buy your home!

Why is spring popular for buyers?

When you think about seasonal life events, people are occupied with things such as summer holidays and Christmas each year, so they will spend less time thinking about moving house close to these events.

Spring is also an excellent time to see a potential new property while it is looking its best. It is also a good time to quickly spot any faults or potential money traps that can be more easily hidden from view during winter's darker days and nights.

For example, viewing the garden can be more difficult in the winter due to the shorter days. It is also impossible to spot any DIY jobs that will need doing in the garden, such as cracked or broken paving stone replacements, in the dark, or when concealed by a light covering of snow.

Autumnal spike in house sales

The height of summer isn't particularly busy on the housing market because of significant life events such as family holidays and trips abroad. Parents will be too busy dealing with their families during school holidays to think about moving home seriously. This is why July and August tend to be slightly slower months for sales of family homes.

However, once the kids are back to school and routines go back to normal, we usually see another spike in house sales. This is why autumn is an excellent time to sell your home after spring.

Many families looking for a new home will often want to be moved in for Christmas, so we often see another flurry of activity with house viewing bookings, enquiries, and sales during September.

Are you ready to sell?

It is essential to choose a time to sell your home that works for you. If you want to sell up and move on this year, it will help proceedings if you are ready to move as quickly as possible.

The last thing you want is for your potential buyer to change their mind if they have to wait around for too long before they can move in. It can help to use a trusted estate agent (like us) that doesn't drag its feet and can get all the necessary paperwork done quickly and smoothly.

Don't hold back if you need to get going with selling your property! You can get our professional help and advice for all aspects of selling your house, from tips for tidying up your garden to getting all those little DIY jobs done so your property is ready for viewing.

If you need advice, do feel free to contact our friendly team here.