Best times and dates for buying, selling and moving house.
The property market is seasonal, as many people fit relocating around factors like school holidays and drier weather. Here’s a quick calendar guide to house buying, selling and moving.
With Christmas over, more properties begin to appear on the market. It’s a time when many people start to think about moving but don’t yet have all their finances sorted. This puts serious, ready-to-move buyers, in a stronger position.
Many prospective buyers are at the start of their search and might not be ready or as serious about buying just yet. This means the high volume of online property search activity, doesn’t always translate into sales.
It’s a relatively quiet period for removal companies, making prices lower. Some solicitors will offer deals on conveyancing to stay busy in this less active market.
The market gets more competitive as many buyers push to move during the Easter holidays. This can result in sellers holding fast on prices with more prospective buyers to choose from.
The increase in market activity is both a plus and minus, more people are searching but more properties are coming to market, creating more competition. The earlier you can get your property listed, the better.
The period around the Easter Bank Holiday is one of the busiest times of the year for movers. This increase in relocations means it’s more difficult to secure preferred removal companies and moving dates. As Easter gets closer, prices get higher and availability lower.
Early summer sees a slowdown for buyers, sellers and movers. Some sellers will want to wrap up their move before summer ends, it's worth making a cheeky bid, you could bag a bargain.
Late summer sees a huge increase in activity, this can cause a backlog on surveys, conveyancing and completion. Many buyers want to be in before the end of summer, if you are prepared to ‘not blink’ and rush your sale, you should secure your full asking price.
May/June can be quieter and you could get a deal on your removals if you’re prepared to haggle. By late summer things really speed up as families look to be in their new home before the start of the new school year, subsequently removal companies hit peak season and charge peak prices. Logistically, the drier months are a better time to be carrying furniture outdoors.
Autumn is the quietest season for buying, selling and moving with less properties coming to market and less buyers and less moves being completed.
It’s a tougher time to sell but a good time to prepare your property for market. Tradesmen are more readily available to get those home improvements done, to increase value and saleability of your current property.
Removals companies see a downturn at this time of year, making it easier to secure your preferred dates/day of the week.
As silly season draws closer, house-hunters hope to celebrate Christmas in their new home. The market often moves much more quickly right up until the end of December.
‘tis the season to be moving. Hunters wanting to get in by Christmas will be keen to make things happen at a faster pace. If the right buyer comes through the door, with their finances in place, you could achieve a fast sale and rapid move.
The closer things get to Christmas, the busier removals firms get. Many companies provide last-minute moves on Christmas Eve to get famlies in. Prices rise accordingly, so if you can, it’s best to secure your move at the beginning of winter.