When Christmas is on the way, lots of people postpone putting their house on the market, as it is a busy time of the year. However, this could be a mistake, as the festive season is a great time for house buyers to view a property.
See the home at its best
Although you might feel your house is full of clutter when the Christmas boxes emerge from the loft, once the decorations are up and the mess has been put away, your house will probably look better than it does all year round.
The sight and scent of a Christmas tree, the pretty festive ornaments, the aromatic candles, and the twinkling lights all make a property feel warm and cosy, making it more appealing to viewers.
People like to imagine what Christmas in their new abode will be like, and being able to see a home with its decorations up can make it easier to envision spending the festive period there themselves.
Of course, it is best to go with classic and sophisticated or homely, traditional decor, so you don’t put viewers off who might not have your same sense of style.
Take photos before the decorations are up
While viewings with the festive decorations can work in your favour, it is worth holding off until the photos have been taken to put up the tree.
This is just in case your property does not sell over the festive period, as you don’t want people looking at pictures of your home covered in tinsel and festive lights if they are seeing them for the first time in February.
Photos of your property without decorations will also reassure homeowners they have a good idea what the residence looks like when it is not dolled up as well.
Quiet market
Lots of vendors might choose to wait till the new year before putting their house on the market because it is a quiet time, so this could be a good thing for those wanting to sell sooner.
As there are fewer properties available, there is less competition out there, helping your property to be seen by prospective buyers.
What’s more, if the viewers are interested, there is less chance they will try to negotiate a price, as there aren’t as many homes out there they can fall back on.
New year, new start
Rightmove experiences the most traffic to its site on Boxing Day, as people are starting to think about what they want to achieve in the next year, and for many, this includes moving house.
So, if you already have your property on the market over the festive period, yours will come up when they are looking on December 26th, as opposed to sellers who wait until the new year has begun.
This puts you in an advantaged position compared with other vendors, capitalising on people’s desire to have a new start once January arrives, and their refuelled energy from having had a break over the Christmas holidays.
So, to put yourself ahead of the game, it is worth it for homeowners to get in touch with their local estate agents so their photos and viewings can be booked in as soon as possible.
