Why now is actually a good time to sell

You may have seen recent headlines in the national press such as "UK market at its weakest", "Estate agents have lowest stock of homes for 40 years" and "3 in 4 homes fail to reach the asking price".

Wikipedia sums up perfectly how I feel about articles such as these with one key word:

Sensationalism - type of editiorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in new stories and pieces are overhyped to present biased impressions on events, which may cause a manipulation to the truth of a story.

It appears many journalists write the headline and then make a story to fit. "Business as usual in the property market" is not a headline which would sell papers.

These sensationalist articles aren't a new feature and can reflect what's going on in the south of England then lazy journalism results in these statements and associated statistics being taken to reflect what's happening in the whole of the UK.

The fact is, there's no such thing as the "UK housing market" - there's a series of local markets each with its own dynamics and what's important to you is what's happening in your local market.

Edinburgh is a patchwork of different markets, and activity is influeneced by several factors.

It has been a fantastic time to sell property in Edinburgh for quite some time now with property market activity at pre-recession levels; closing dates the norm rather than the exception and excellent prices being achieved if the property is well presented and accurately priced for the sale. In fact, we've been regularly selling properties within just 13 days.

During the recession, we often had a stock of 250-300 properties because no one was buying. We would rather have a higher turnover of sales and low stock than collect properties that aren't selling and I know that our clients certainly feel the same!

The sale of your property is one of the very few occasions in life where you can maximise your capital tax free and it is the time to engage the services of local experienced professionals (ESPC firms, ofcourse) that have the tools and expertise to guide you through.

Ask your local firm about the local property market and the features that they can offer to you - 24/7 access to a client portal, professional brochures with unlimited reprints (given that there is so many viewings taking place due to the level of buyers out there!) and other features like ESPC Exclusive and no upfront outlays.

It's important to remember not to believe everything that the press publish - they'll often never let the truth get in the way of a good story!