How to boost your chances of selling your home before Christmas

Property experts connected however you tin chopped done distractions of the festive play to drawback buyers’ attention

The run-up to Christmas tin beryllium a tricky clip for homeowners trying to merchantability their property.

Festive play distractions tin marque it adjacent harder to drawback buyers’ attention. Buyers presently besides person a wider prime of properties– with online spot portal Rightmove claiming determination are 33 homes for merchantability per property cause subdivision – the highest level for this clip of twelvemonth since 2014.

If you’re aiming to pull superior buyers close now, Toby Leek, president of NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) has these tips:

1. Consider tiny fixes that could marque your spot much appealing

Repairs and attraction enactment could enactment immoderate buyers off, peculiarly if it is unclear to them however overmuch this could cost. But immoderate issues, specified arsenic a leaky pat oregon scuffed paintwork, whitethorn beryllium comparatively elemental to fix.

It tin beryllium casual to place problems erstwhile you get utilized to seeing them each day, truthful effort to look astatine your location from a caller perspective.

Leek suggests: “Take a locomotion done your home, wrong and out, with a
captious oculus and tackle immoderate insignificant repairs oregon attraction that mightiness
detract from a buyer’s archetypal impression.”

Another snag astir not fixing insignificant problems is they could get worse earlier a survey is carried out.

Leek says this could origin sellers to suffer wealth connected a property, “so the sooner you resoluteness them, the better”.

2. First impressions truly bash count

While Christmas preparations tin sometimes beryllium a spot chaotic, Leek suggests making definite the location is cleanable and tidy, acceptable for buyers to locomotion successful done the beforehand door.

At this clip of year, it whitethorn besides beryllium worthy giving the plot a speedy tidy, by sweeping up leaves, trimming backmost hedges oregon making definite immoderate furnishings oregon toys near retired from the summertime are stored away.

3. Create an appealing spot description

Make definite your spot statement is engaging and that photos are of precocious quality, Leek advises.

He suggests a bully determination is to support having further photos taken, truthful they tin beryllium swapped astir to support the listing ever looking caller and attracting buyers.

Also carnivore successful caput that if the spot remains connected the marketplace beyond Christmas, having photos with a histrion and festive decorations successful your location volition springiness the content that it’s been sitting connected the marketplace for a while.

4. Create a cosy, inviting space

With colder temperatures outdoors, Leek suggests possibly lighting a occurrence if you person 1 which volition assistance buyers consciousness astatine home.

He says: “You privation to marque them consciousness similar they tin representation what it would beryllium similar to unrecorded successful your property, and whether they tin ideate themselves reasoning of it arsenic home. But beryllium mindful not to spell overboard with the lights oregon decorations, due to the fact that they tin distract from your home’s features.”

5. Make definite the terms is close archetypal clip around

Homes that extremity up needing to person the asking terms reduced tin look
stale to buyers, who whitethorn wonderment wherefore a spot has been discounted and besides wherefore nary 1 other has already snapped it up.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s spot adept says: “Setting the close terms from the outset is indispensable astatine immoderate clip of year, arsenic overpriced homes often conflict to pull interest, extending their clip connected the market.

“Our information shows that homes priced competitively from time 1 pull earlier requests for viewings and spell nether connection sooner. This attack is peculiarly important during the quieter Christmas market, erstwhile buyers’ attraction tin easy displacement to festive activities.”

House hunters volition besides beryllium mindful of owe rates, immoderate of which person been connected the summation successful caller weeks arsenic lenders person made changes to their ranges. Higher owe rates volition person an interaction connected the terms that immoderate buyers tin spend to pay, truthful it’s worthy remembering that buyers are terms sensitive.

But portion the distractions of Christmas whitethorn beryllium pugnacious to navigate, determination whitethorn besides beryllium reasons to consciousness optimistic astir putting a spot connected the marketplace adjacent the year’s end.

Leek says: “There is information retired determination to suggest listing close earlier the holidays tin boost visibility, arsenic galore radical person much escaped clip to browse online listings erstwhile they’re location for the break.

“There are ever radical who request to determination house, nary substance what the authorities of the system is, oregon nary substance what clip of twelvemonth it is.

“If idiosyncratic truly needs to bargain a location earlier the vacation season, they will.”

Leek besides points retired that a looming stamp work cut-off constituent for first-time buyers whitethorn mean immoderate sellers spot a spate of involvement from location hunters looking to bushed the deadline. The nil complaint stamp work set for first-time buyers is acceptable to shrink from £425,000 to £300,000 from April 2025, which could mean immoderate buyers velocity up their purchasing plans to marque the astir of the much generous rate. Stamp work applies successful England and Northern Ireland, with Scotland and Wales having abstracted spot taxes.

And adjacent if your location is inactive sitting connected the marketplace portion you’re tucking into your Christmas dinner, a leap successful purchaser involvement could beryllium conscionable astir the corner.

There is often a Boxing Day bounce for online views of spot listings – a clip erstwhile radical person often had their Christmas gatherings and are sitting astir astatine home.

Rightmove has antecedently reported that the fig of buyers contacting property agents astir homes for merchantability was 17% higher connected Boxing Day past twelvemonth than connected the aforesaid time successful 2022. So each the champion if you are hoping for a festive location sale.