Unexpected Buyers Over Christmas

Christmas is nearly upon us and it might be tempting to assume that the market will slow down. Perhaps it’s best to wait until the New Year before selling.

However, whilst many agents do indeed shut up shop so they can roast chestnuts over an open fire, we like nothing more than to sneak into the office in our Santa outfits and huddle round the computer rubbing our hands in glee as we see our web traffic stats rocket. According to Rightmove, buyer activity triples over the festive period, with two million people viewing over 25 million pages on Boxing Day alone last year.

Having been among the first agents to embrace technology and social media in the area, we are fortunate that our website ranks highly in the search engines. So over Christmas we always see a huge spike of buyer activity, especially on Boxing Day, as people who are anticipating a move in the New Year start to spend their “time out” browsing for properties. They inevitably fall in love with one of our beautifully presented instructions sooner than expected, so our accompanied viewing figures over Christmas aren’t bad either!

We certainly recommend that you avoid falling into the trap of waiting until the Spring to sell. The sheer volume of properties flooding onto the market at the same time in March and April can create an imbalance of supply over demand and prices can actually weaken. Serious buyers are still very active over Christmas, when their time off work allows them to view more properties. Indeed, Boxing Day is the most active day of the year in terms of buyer visits to our website, and property portals, such as Rightmove and Zoopla. So we say, “make hay while the snow falls”.

Also, Christmas is a time when a house really does look like a home and this could just tip the balance in your favour when buyers come to view.

So if you are thinking of selling in the New Year or even the Spring, why not bring it forward and let us help you take advantage of this surprisingly buoyant time of year. You’ll then be in a strong position yourself as a buyer to take advantage of any increase in supply early next year. Why not call 01323 440678 today to arrange a no-obligation marketing consultation with one of our friendly property marketing experts.

“Let it snow, let it snow, then sell your house though Crane & Co!”