Ho-Ho-No? Should You Buy and Sell Over Christmas?

Soon, you may notice your neighbours taking down their “For sale” signs and stringing up Christmas lights instead. The festive period is typically the time when buyers and sellers take a break and then regroup for the New Year. But, before you remove your property from the market and delete the house-hunting apps from your phone, there are several reasons why staying active during a seasonal slowdown can be to your advantage.  

Selling a house over the festive season 

When most people think of selling their house, they think of spring and summer – the golden light, the warmer days, the garden sparkling in the sunlight. Sure, that’s a nice time to buy and sell, yet winter offers some major benefits. Plus, if you don’t have the luxury of time, you may need to put your home up for sale. So, is Christmas a bad time to sell a house? Not in our books. 

• Fewer homes on the market 

The number of homes for sale tends to decline over the Christmas period, which is why yours could easily stand apart from the crowd. While you may be tempted to pull the plug and do the same, with less competition, determined buyers can start to look at your home seriously.  

• Christmas browsers are motivated 

Over this period, you often find buyers with pressing needs, which is why they’re looking for a new home – and looking seriously. If buyers want to view properties in the cold and wet and leave their Christmas shopping to another time, they are clearly driven about finding the perfect home. And the best bit? If someone views your home at 5pm mid-December and loves it, chances are they’ll be head-over-heels by spring! 

Although you may have fewer potential buyers and fewer viewings, the buyers and viewings you do have will be serious.  

• The Boxing Day bounce 

Boxing Day arrives and many people tend to spend a lot of time on their phones and tablets surfing the web. While some browse the Boxing Day sales, others begin to think about the future. Whether they’re considering downsizing when the kids have flown the nest, upsizing to meet the demands of their growing family or moving closer to loved ones, it’s natural to start looking towards the New Year. Over Christmas, the family is all together at home, so discussions can be had about home goals. 

As a result, there tends to be a significant uptick of people searching for properties during the festive period – so much so that this phenomenon has been referred to as The Boxing Day Bounce. 

• Make your property visible online 

Because more people have free time to browse properties over the festive season, it’s essential that your home is visible on property portals between Christmas and New Year. While many agencies will be shut during this time, eager buyers can still book viewings for the New Year and whittle down the list of potential new homes. What’s more, with the market as hot as it’s been, buyers have been forced to act fast so your property could be a quick sale.  

Make sure your listing is on all the major portals (you can choose this as an add-on to your Purplebricks selling package). 

Just take a look at the uplift in online traffic for those searching for properties over winter:

How to sell your home in winter 

If you’re keen to put your home on the market this winter, there are plenty of ways to grab a buyer’s attention. Some of our favourites include: 

• Maximise the cosiness: There’s no point fighting the fact that winter is colder and darker. Make your home feel seasonally warm and cosy for an inviting feel.  

• Watch the temperature: Make sure the heating is on before viewings to make for a comfortable walk-through.  

• Grab their attention from the kerb: Keep lawns and front gardens neat and tidy. Clear leaves, debris, frost, and snow from paths.  

• Let in the light: In these darker days, turn the lights on and pull the curtains back for viewings. 

• Deck the halls: Find the balance between all-out festive décor and no decorations at all. The ones you do put up shouldn’t detract from the overall house.  

 Ready to get started? Book your free house valuation to find out how much your home’s worth. Then, we can take it from there, giving you free rein to choose the selling services you want.  

Buying a house in winter 

Often coming hand-in-hand with selling is buying a house. And while you may not want to trudge out to a viewing in the bleak midwinter, you may just be rewarded for your efforts. To help you make a move this season, here are some tips for buying a house over Christmas: 

• Winter buying means serious business. While there tend to be fewer homes on the market, the buyers who are looking are determined – that's you, right? Sounds good, except that means you may be up against some unexpected competition. In short, don’t wait around to make an offer if you love the property. 
   

• Try to arrange viewings in the daylight, especially if there is a garden and grounds to explore. You can even drive by the house at certain times of the day and week to get your bearings for winter sun, traffic, and overall feel. 
   

• When you arrive at the viewing, ask how energy-efficient the property is. While all properties must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), it’s a good idea to get a feel for the systems currently in place and what can be done to improve it. 

Fit finding the right property in between hunting for Christmas presents. It’s easy to get started by browsing homes for sale here. And you never know, you might just find the home to spend all your Christmases in!