Christmas Selling: Why You Need to Start Now if You Want to Move Next Summer

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so isn't it a bit soon to be talking about moving home next summer?

Usually, this time of year is all about office parties, family gatherings and frantic last-minute shopping, but Christmas 2022 is more than just the season to be jolly. It's also an important date if you're planning to move home in the summer 2023.

That's mainly because a conveyancing logjam is delaying many sales by months, causing countless nail-biting moments. 

Rightmove recorded an average time of 150 days this year between accepting an offer and moving out. Let's say you put your home on the market today and found a buyer within a month; a realistic moving date could already be June.

If you have any kind of deadline, like getting a school place in an oversubscribed catchment area or relocating for work, it's essential to give yourself enough time to make that happen.

But don't fret, because Christmas has some unique, once-a-year advantages to finding a buyer. So, whether your home is already on the market or you're preparing to sell soon, our blog this week is all about using this festive season to secure your summer 2023 move.

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE SELLING 

The days of the property market shutting down for Christmas are long gone. Now, searching for a home is just as festive as mince pies and mistletoe.

So, if you've been gearing up to sell in the new year, here's why it could be worth bringing forward your plans:

• Visits to the property portals hitting their annual peak in the week after Christmas Day as people use the festive break to make big life decisions - catch them while they're hot!

• Christmas is a once-a-year opportunity to enhance your home with heartwarming seasonal touches (more on that later).
  
• You can build in extra time to beat the current conveyancing delays and pave the way to complete your move for the summer.

• Although mortgage rates have come down from October's spike, there are further base rate rises on the way, and many buyers want to lock in deals and secure a home now.
  

It's also worth mentioning that January is traditionally when lots of homes hit the market, so you can get ahead of those sellers and avoid getting lost in an ocean of competition by making your home available this year.

LAUNCHING OR RELAUNCHING ON BOXING DAY

Visitor numbers to property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla go through the roof on Boxing Day and into the new year, so whether you’re starting selling, switching to a new agent, or simply changing your price, you have the opportunity to reach the year’s biggest audience.

• Buyer demand on Rightmove over the 2021 Christmas period was up 23% on 2020’s already record-breaking numbers.
  
• Launching on Boxing Day doesn’t mean filling your Christmas break with viewings, but it does mean reaching the year's biggest audience so you can gather enquiries and excitement.
  
• If your home is already for sale and your viewings have dried up, you could make a fresh start with a new agent to get a shiny New Listing badge and go back to the top of search results.

If you do want to launch or relaunch your home on Boxing Day, you've still got just enough time. Give us a call on 01268 944104 or email us at hello@vesta-essex.co.uk so we can start getting everything ready.

DECK THE HALLS WITH SCANDI STYLE

When done right, Christmas decorations can make your home even more saleable, and the Scandinavians have mastered the art with their pared-down hygge style. So take a leaf out of their book this year to create an irresistible cosiness that highlights your home’s finer features.

• Consider a smaller tree that has room to breathe so your living room remains as the main event, and stick to white, green, and silver baubles and dressing.
  
• Control your Christmas cards. Frame them as a collage on a wall, hang them on the back of a door, or confine them to one surface like the top of a sideboard.

• Wooden nutcracker soldiers and Danish nisse figures are timeless decorations for a wholesome spirit of the season.
  
• Warm white fairy lights look magical wherever you use them - filling glass vases, strung over the fireplace, or brightening dark corners.
  
• Minimise overhead decorations as they make rooms look smaller, and ceilings feel lower.

One final thing to remember is that more viewings happen after dark in winter than any other time of year, so take a look at our blog on Evening Viewings to create the perfect atmosphere.

SET THE SCENE FOR WINTER DRIVE-BYS

Even if buyers don't come to view until after the new year, many of them hop in the car over the holidays to look at homes from the outside. So give them something to remember you by with a tasteful touch of seasonal charm.

• Just in case you’re tempted, say no to gigantic light displays climbing over your roof as they obscure the view of your home.

• Classic warm-white fairy lights look magical in tree branches, among your plants, or along a wall.
  
• Give your front door a festive lift with a glowing porch lamp, a classic Christmas wreath, and a pot or basket of winter blooms.
  

• Place Scandinavian-style LED candle sticks inside your front windows.
  
• If your front lawn needs a dash of yuletide twinkle, try lightweight LED frame decorations like classic Christmas trees or grazing reindeer from John Lewis.

Now the front of your home looks irresistibly inviting, why not continue the magic into your garden or balcony with our previous Winter Gardens blog?

SHARE THE LOCAL FESTIVE SPIRIT

Local lifestyle is part of every buyer's decision when choosing a home, so talk to your agent about highlighting your neighbourhood's atmosphere at this time of year within your property description and photos.

 Think about including:

• great local pubs with roasts and fireplaces
  
• local events like carol concerts, Christmas plays and pantos
  
• ice rinks, markets, light trails, and fun fairs.

If you’ve got photos from last year, you could leave out a mini album for your viewers to show just how magical the neighbourhood gets at Christmas.

Do you want to move in time for summer 2023?

If you live in Wickford, Benfleet or Chelmsford and you'd like to sell your home and move in time for summer, we'd love to help you on your way.

Call us on 01268 944104 or email us at hello@vesta-essex.co.uk for a chat about your plans, and let's start putting them in place.