Thinking of selling your home? Diane Jennings, Director, Property Sales at Simpson & Marwick fills us in on the advantages of marketing your property early in the year.
I principally head up the estate agency team at Simpson & Marwick and also advise clients on purchasing larger properties.
People often ask if they should sell at the beginning of the year or wait until later in the year to market their property. Historically, late spring and early autumn were the optimum times to sell a property, however over the last few years we have found good levels of activity throughout the calendar. At the moment, there is more of an 11-month market, with December really being the only month when we see activity levels drop away.
Lack of stock in January and February, with buyers who have sold at the tail end of the previous year impatiently waiting for the market to refresh, can drive levels of activity and competition, and so the seller who gets on with the sale process early can do better than someone waiting for warmer spring days.
Naturally there will be exceptions to this. A client whose main selling point is their wonderful herbaceous borders may well be better advised to wait for this to be in full bloom, for example. So to maximise the impact of marketing at this time of year, making sure we have a good blue sky on external images combined with shots that highlight a cosy lifestyle in winter works well. Things like a working fireplace or cosy sitting room will add to the online presence.
Most clients selling are also looking to buy, and in a competitive market you can be up against more than one party bidding for your dream home. The key is to make yourself the most attractive buyer. This is not always down to price. Time and time again we find sellers are more inclined to accept an offer from the buyer who is “proceedable”, rather than taking on the risk of accepting an offer from someone still to sell.
Those who get on the market early in the year, thus bringing forward a buyer for their own home put themselves in a better position than others by being ready to take advantage of the new stock coming through.
For a free, no obligation valuation of your home and the chance to discuss the sale and purchase process in more detail, get in touch with Simpson & Marwick who can give you expert advice.
This article features in The Cryer, East Lothian Issue #103 - The Cryer Magazine
