Is there a best time to sell your home?

It is always a good time to start marketing your home for sale if you are prepared financially but if you are looking for some guiding lights in terms of market demands then you could make a few considerations.

Seasonal peaks and troughs

Traditionally when it comes to selling your home, there are seasonal peaks and troughs in activity to be aware of. For instance, in spring and early summer time the natural light shows properties at their best and gardens come into their own, being more attractive to buyers when viewing.

On the other hand during winter, when people are getting ready for Christmas and short days limit the time available for viewings, the housing market can often slow down.

You can't predict the future

While you can never predict for certain what the market will do next, certain principles always hold true when it comes to selling property. For example, taking the time to properly prepare and make the best of your home will always stand you in good stead.

Finding the right agent

One of the most important things you can do to ensure a good sale whatever the time of year is to appoint the right agent. Finding an agent that you trust, that has a good reputation and above all has expert knowledge of your local area will put you on the right track from the start.

A good agent should be able to give you a detailed analysis of your local market, specialist advice on what you need to do to get ready to sell and can tell you if there is traditionally an optimum time for your type of property to go on sale.

For example, in university towns smaller flats often do best when marketed in spring in order to capture students looking to buy, while selling during the August festivals in Edinburgh can often prove more difficult than in other months.

If you’re thinking about selling, it’s a good idea to speak to an agent with a long standing history of selling in your area as early on as possible. Although the market has general trends, each property is different and an experienced agent will be able to tell you when in the annual cycle will likely give the best results for your individual circumstances.

About the author

Matthew joined Pagan Osborne in 2005 with 25 years of experience in estate agency operations, both on the residential and corporate side. He is passionate about property and also staff development and believes continuous training at every level to be the key to exemplary customer service and industry leading standards of client care, which can be relied upon to be totally consistent across all Pagan Osborne offices.

Why not follow ESPC on Facebook or find ESPC on Twitter to keep up to date with all our latest news and blog posts.