19 February 2024

Out With The Cold, In With The Sold: Selling Your Home In Spring

What is the Best Season to Sell Your House?
The property market in Sittingbourne, Sheerness, Minster, Faversham, Canterbury, Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Maidstone usually follows similar spikes and dips year after year, which means, if you’re ready to sell, you can use this knowledge to work out the best time to put your home on the market.
Putting your property up for sale when many prospective buyers are looking makes sense as it makes it more likely that there will be higher competition for each available property, allowing you to get the very best price.
The great news for those looking to sell a house in Sittingbourne, Sheerness, Minster, Faversham, Canterbury, Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Maidstone is that spring is the top season for prospective buyers.

Why Is Spring The Top Selling Month?
Spring is a great time to sell and traditionally is the season when lots of properties come to market. Potential buyers are not away enjoying their summer holidays, there is that feeling of warmth and renewal in the air, and in general, many people want to move during this season simply because it means they can settle into their new home during the warmer, more pleasant months of the year.
There are no major festivals or holidays, the weather starts to improve, and outdoor spaces come into their own to boost your home’s kerb appeal. Evenings during springtime are also lighter, so you can maximise the potential of your viewings, with the weather typically being good enough to ensure prospective purchasers can see your garden in its full, glorious state.

What Happens If I Can’t Sell In Spring?
Of course, while selling during spring is an ideal situation, it isn’t always a practical option. Luckily, there are things you can do to turn any season in your favour and make your home as appealing to buyers as possible.
At Quealy & Co, we have some helpful tips to assist you in achieving a speedy sale, whatever the time of year.

Selling In Summer
Summer has windows of opportunity for selling your home but it’s important to understand that this is also a time when families will be preoccupied either with taking care of their children who are off from school, or away on holiday. That said, many people do have extra time in the summer due to taking time off work and may potentially fit viewing houses into their schedules.
To maximise the potential of your home in summer, your best course of action is to focus on your property’s outdoor spaces, so make sure your garden looks good. Don’t forget to open the windows to allow the cool air and summer scents to flow, making your rooms feel airy and spacious.

Selling In Autumn
If you’re ready to sell your property in Sittingbourne, Sheerness, Minster, Faversham, Canterbury, Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester or Maidstone during autumn, you can still feel optimistic about securing a speedy sale because Autumn is the second top season for purchasers to seek out a new property.
Autumn has no significant holidays for you to deal with, and when compared with summer and winter, prospective buyers have fewer financial commitments to consider. Your home is still likely to look its best from the summer months, and there are unlikely to be any severe weather conditions to contend with.

Selling In Winter
Typically, the cold months of winter don’t bring sellers a lot of success since winter not only brings with it some gloomy weather but also a lot of financial stress. Energy bills go up, and the festive season is on the horizon, leading to prospective buyers delaying their decisions until after the turn of the year. Your home doesn’t always look its best during the winter, either.
Your garden won’t be in bloom, and the hours of daylight are short. You can, however, use those dark nights to show off your home’s warm and welcoming ambience by adding cosy decorative elements, candles, and soft lighting to highlight its features. If you have an open fire or a log burner, make sure it’s lit for viewings!

Other Considerations When Putting Your Home on the Market...
It’s not only the season that can make a difference to the best time to put your home on the market. These other factors also play a part:

Planning Works Nearby
If there are big road works or building works going on outside your property, you might want to wait until these are completed. Objectively, it should only improve the value of your home, so it may be worth holding off! Conversely, you could also use planning works in progress to boost the value of your home whilst it's on the market. For example, if new transport links are being built nearby this could attract more buyers to your property. Be aware of what is being done near you so that you know whether to wait or whether you can use it to boost value.

The Housing Market
In some cases, the housing market will be booming, and the value of properties will be so high you will want to ensure you take advantage of this and get a sale as fast as you can. In this case, it is best to hire professionals to come in and deep clean and stage your home so you can sell it fast, whilst the market is hot.

The Economy
A recession or political uncertainty is always going to have an impact when selling your home, but you do have other options whilst you wait for the ideal time to put your house on the market. If your mortgage is entirely paid up, you could rent your property out until the best time to sell. This way you can also benefit from an income. If you want to rent out your home but still have a mortgage, then you will need to speak with your lender to get the necessary permissions and switch to a buy to let mortgage. We can help with this at Quealy & Co.

Be Prepared in Advance No Matter What
Of course, you want to sell, above all else, so whatever the season, it’s important to be ready. This means having your finances in order, getting your home in order, decorating and making minor improvements and repairs, and ensuring your property looks its absolute best and so attracts views. A house that is ready to be sold is far more attractive to buyers than one that is not!

If you are considering putting your house on the market in Sittingbourne, Sheerness, Minster, Faversham, Canterbury, Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Maidstone, call us on 01795 429836 or email hello@quealy.co.uk for the best possible advice. We have a super handy instant online valuation tool to get an estimation of property price in just seconds!

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