Even though there is a lot of focus on the demand for property in the UK and that there is an insufficient level of supply of homes to the market, it can still be difficult to sell your home. This means homeowners who are looking to sell property should try to take advantage of every benefit that comes their way. You may not have thought too much about the right time to sell your home, but there is a strong argument to be made for ensuring your property is on the market over the festive period. This has been dubbed “The Boxing Day Bounce” and if you can capitalise on this aspect, you can sell your home much quicker or easier.
Online property portals have transformed the market
Many of the property portals launch TV campaigns on Boxing Day, which meant that they would have been driving a lot of traffic to their site on that day and providing people with reminders to check out the site in the upcoming days. In the modern era, the days of family TV viewing are much more limited compared to previous eras. With the internet, satellite TV, catch-up TV and streaming options, there may not be too many times when people sit down collectively and watch television but over the festive period, this is more likely. This is why the fact that a major online property portal advertising in an effective manner at this time is going to direct a great deal of traffic to their sites, and your property could be in front of this audience.
2015 was a defining year when it came to people using online property portals during the festive period. Rightmove claims that they had a million visitors on their site on Christmas Day alone, and that this figure rose on Boxing Day and reached a peak of close to 3 million people on the first working day of the New Year. This perhaps indicates that some people are keen to get an early start on a house move but when the reality of a new work year sets in; people decide that it is time to bring their property plans and ambitions to life. We may be heading towards the 2017 festive period but the demand and interest in property over the festive period remains unabated.
Clearly all of these people aren’t going to be interested in your property, so it is not as if you should expect 3 million people to suddenly take an interest in your home. However, it is fair to say that with an increased volume of traffic heading to online property portals, there is an increased chance that more relevant people will see your property.
Not everyone is looking to sell their home at this time of year
Another factor to bear in mind about placing your home on the market for the festive period is that many people will not do it. Winter is not a traditionally busy time in the UK property market and you can see that a lot of homeowners would prefer to enjoy Christmas and then make an attempt to sell their home in the New Year. That is understandable but they may be missing a fantastic opportunity to sell your home and their absence from the market can improve your chances.
If there are fewer homes to choose from in your area, the potential buyers who are looking will be more likely to come across your property. The people who decide to sit out the late December and early January Christmas market are providing you with an improved opportunity to sell your home, and it makes sense for you to take advantage of this opportunity.
If you are looking to sell your home as early as possible in the New Year, it makes sense to be present on the market in mid to late December. In the old days, estate agents would likely shut over the festive period, which meant that the market would shut down. With the emergence of the internet and the huge importance of online property portals, you should find that being listed online could be the key to enjoying the best start to 2018. If you want to benefit from The Boxing Day Bounce or you just guidance in the property market, come and speak to Frank Schippers.
