when is the best time of year to sell your house?
Is there a good time in the year to sell your house or is any time as good as another? Is it better to sell in winter or summer, August or in January? Like any commodity that is bought or sold there are some times in the year when properties sell quicker than others. Although these can change due to economic factors, such as recessions or interest rate changes, they are generally set in stone.
Some property agents claim that there is never a wrong time to sell. This is not completely true, selling your house, apartment or villa at the right time of year can generate a higher number of viewings and consequently more offers on your property.
The best months to sell your property are April and May. Buyers have spent time over winter considering their options and once the festive season is out of the way and spring is sprung, housebuyers will start searching for their new property. First time buyers also start to look for their first place in the Spring too. As they are generally at the bottom of the property ladder and have no property to sell of their own, they are an important part of the property chain and inadvertently help those further up the ladder move up. Consequently if you can put your property up for sale in early April, you stand a good chance of selling within a couple of months.
June through to August are also good months to sell your property but houses put onto the market during these months and do not move as quickly as those that are put up for sale in Spring. This is mainly due to the other activities that are planned during the summer months, such as holidays, which distract people from looking at houses. Although this is certainly a distraction, properties do tend to sell during these months as people want to be settled in to their new house or flat before the colder months set in.
The housing market generally starts to slow down a little in September although Autumn/Fall can create activity in the housing market and selling your property at this time of the year still allows enough time to complete the sale before winter sets in.
Winter is traditionally a slow time to sell. Putting your property up for sale at this time of year could be viewed as a bad move as you are less likely to get offers on your property and consequently may accept a lower offer than what the property is worth out of desperation.
Please remember though, no matter what the calendar says, if your local market is telling you that now is the time to sell your house then sell it now. Moving home house on Christmas Day really isn't that onerous and the removals guys will be happy with some Christmas turkey to keep them going!