Observe the masses and do the opposite - Don't wait for the daffodils like everyone else, act now!
Are you thinking of moving house in 2024? When is the right time to put this plan into motion? Read this article to find out why the general advice is wrong and when you should start to market your home for maximum impact.
A new year often comes with new plans. We all do it. New Year's resolutions to lose weight or stick to a fitness routine. And perhaps you are going into 2024 with the goal of moving house. This is the year you will finally move into your dream home. What, then, must be done to put this plan into action?
Many of us opt to get Christmas out of the way first before getting the ball rolling. We don't want to add even more tasks to our ever-growing to-do list at this busy time of year. And so, we park the 'moving house' plan until after Christmas.
Once Christmas has passed and you have eaten your fill of turkey for another year, you have to get the kids back to school. You're in the throes of your new fitness kick, and the weeks are starting to tick by. You might be planning to get the house on the market, but you have a few jobs to get done first, and the gardens are not looking their best. Perhaps it would be better to wait until spring? When the daffodils nod their happy little heads in the spring sunshine, and your house looks its loveliest? This is a common scenario for many households planning a move, which is precisely why you shouldn't wait!
As Walt Disney famously said, "Observe the masses and do the opposite". If all other homeowners plan to put their homes on the market around March, the market will be flooded and inundated with new instructions. This leaves property searchers with lots of choices. And we all know what happens when the supply/demand balance shifts, right? It impacts the price of the product, in this case, your property.
If there are loads of properties on the market and only the same number of buyers, there is more supply than demand, and the values will be negatively impacted.
Conversely, if you were to put your home on the market when there are considerably fewer new instructions, a property searcher will have far fewer choices, the supply will be reduced, and the effect will be higher offers.
So, if everyone else is waiting for spring, don't hang around; get your home on the market in winter. Observe the masses and do the opposite.
In fact, selling a home in winter can be very successful. Imagine you are out in the dark evenings, braving the elements to make your way to view a property. The wind is battering you, and it is bitingly cold. You arrive at the property, washed in the warm yellow glow of the interior lights as you knock on the door. Huddling up inside your coat and stamping your feet to regain the feeling in your frozen toes. The door opens, and you are welcomed inside by the warmth, and the cosiness envelops you. Fires roaring, scented candles burning, fairy lights and table lamps create a delicious ambience. You can't fail to feel welcomed, and this lovely feeling spreads into your judgement about the property.
This could be your viewers falling in love with your property because it offered them a refuge against the inclement weather, a sanctuary safe from the elements. There is no way that your viewers would leave this viewing appointment with negative feelings about your property. Expect offers coming your way!
There is no need to worry about the wintery garden or the skies not being sun-filled and the brightest azure. Property marketing can be tailored to the time of year, and there are many techniques to set your home apart from the rest.
Such as twilight photography, which can capture an image with a warm yellow glow to create a different aspect of your home in the property listing. Or Photoshop; of course, there can be no fundamental changes to the property using Photoshop, but it is possible to add roaring fires into the fireplaces to add to the atmosphere in the images.
Many years ago, it was generally accepted that spring was the best time to put your home on the market for sale, but that is no longer the case. In fact, quite the opposite.
If you come to market in spring, your property will unfortunately be on the shelf with many other properties, and you will have to work very hard to stand out and grab the attention of potential buyers. If, instead, you opt to market your property during the winter months, the buyers are serious, there are fewer properties for you to compete with, and your home can be staged in the cosiest ways imaginable, resulting in some excellent offers.
To learn more about selling your home in 2024, contact our property experts today.
