Why you shouldn't wait until the New Year to market your property
The so-called boxing day bounce is a surprising phenomenon many wouldn't expect. Year after year, Rightmove reports that Boxing Day is the busiest day for traffic to their website. In Dec 2021, Rightmove saw a 78% increase in activity between Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The so-called boxing day bounce is a surprising phenomenon many wouldn't expect. Year after year, Rightmove reports that Boxing Day is the busiest day for traffic to their website. In Dec 2021, Rightmove saw a 78% increase in activity between Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
By that stage in the Christmas festivities, we have all got a bit bored, haven't we? Filled with too much food and drink, we start thinking about the future and what we hope to achieve in the coming year.
If you've been toying with moving house, it is normal to have compartmentalised your to-do lists to cope with the busy time of year. Things will generally fall into the category of either before Christmas or after Christmas.
House hunting gets pushed into the after-Christmas category until, once all of the excitement has waned and you've watched enough feel-good family movies to last you until next Christmas, you start to think about what might be available. Which properties are for sale at the moment? There's no harm in having a little browse whilst you eat one more mince pie, right?
As much as we like to think that we are trailblazers, we are, as a nation, relatively predictable. If you want to sell your home in the New Year, you can use this predictability to your advantage.
By looking ahead, you can ensure that your lovely home is on the market just in time for the Boxing Day bounce. Ready for those Boxing day scrollers to see your property and imagine themselves living there. How? Let me tell you.
Before the tree goes up, have your By Design agent prepare the marketing materials - photoshoots and filming for the video, the EPC and the floorplan - all ready and approved by you in advance. Then, your property listing is waiting in the wings. Until just before the big day, your agent can flick the switch and launch your property to the open market.
Of course, you won't be called to do a viewing whilst peeling potatoes. You won't have to fight through the mountains of recycled cardboard boxes and wrapping paper from the presents in the morning. There won't be a mad dash to tidy up the wonderful chaos of Christmas day to present your home for a viewing.
But, on Boxing Day, when bored property searchers get twitchy fingers and begin to scroll through Rightmove for a mindless browse, your property will be there for them to see.
Many people decide to temporarily withdraw their property from the open market in December as it is a naturally quieter time. And any sales that are going through the legal process are often pushed through before Christmas. So, fewer properties will be advertised on the property websites over the festive period. This reduction in competition is great news for you.
Those thinking about moving in the New Year probably haven't even had their valuations yet, never mind the photo shoot. They haven't even thought that far ahead. But you have. And so when people scroll and start to think about moving, there won't be many properties to choose from.
Often the new instructions for the new year won't go live until late January. But the buyer demand is high much earlier than this. The resulting reduction in supply could see you achieving the highest possible price for your property in the current market because of this increased demand.
So, use the predictability of the Great British public to your advantage and get your property ready to market on Christmas Day! Then sit back and wait for your January to fill up with viewing appointments from excited potential buyers.
Get in touch with your local By Design agent today to find out more.
Merry Christmas.
