Selling before Christmas – the best gift you can ask for

With the year drawing to a close, many hold off putting their house on the market – but if you do it right, it’s easy to stand out in the Christmas crowd.

The property market is known to slow down in the run-up to Christmas, as the public turns its attention towards family gatherings, purchasing gifts and consuming gigantic quantities of mulled wine. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to sell.

In the traditional New Year rush, vendors flood the market with their homes in a bid to entice buyers – but more often than not, many find themselves losing visibility amid the masses and end up waiting longer to sell. So, if you can find a buyer before the year’s out, you can be a step ahead of the rest… and no matter what time of year it is, you can guarantee that someone will be looking.

So what can you do to give your home the greatest chance of selling before Christmas? Below are a few ideas you can use to get your house sold fast.

1. With winter comes blustery winds; and as autumn has been and gone, it’s common to see piles of dead leaves stacked up against the external walls of houses. Simply keeping leaves and debris away to present a clear and tidy exterior can easily grab the attention of a prospective buyer.
2. Footwear can often be covered in mud in the colder months, so make sure you’re not bringing the outside in with you whenever you get home.
3. It may not be summer, but in the UK, weeds continue to grow at astonishing rates all year round – so make sure you put in a bit of effort to keep your garden uncluttered.
4. The days may be shorter, but this can be a huge advantage for house selling experts. In winter, people generally look for a ‘cosy’ feel when browsing properties. Scheduling viewings when it is darker outside can therefore make your home a very attractive choice, if you make the effort to ensure it’s warm and welcoming And if you’ve got a fireplace, light it – the ambience will be a great selling point.
5. Many vendors have found that their solicitors and conveyancers are less busy in the run-up to Christmas, and often report faster turnaround times on paperwork – so use this to your advantage and try to get everything sorted as soon as possible.
6. If you’re looking to sell fast, take a moment to ponder the best asking price to ensure a quick sale – a steep price can leave buyers balking, but price it too low and people will begin to wonder if there’s a hidden problem.

Of course, as a vendor, there’s always an element of luck, no matter what time of the year you decide to sell, but there’s no reason to be disheartened – and don’t forget, if you need to sell before the year is out you can always use quick house sale companies who will buy any home for cash and make sure your sale is processed in minimal time.

Need to sell before 2017? Why not ask National Homebuyers for advice, as we buy any house. Call 08000 443 911 or request a call back to find out how much you could get for your property.