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Don’t Let New Year Get in the Way of a Sale

  • 3 years ago
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Now that Christmas and New Year are done, dusted and packed away for another 12 months, you might be thinking about putting your property on the market. 

While you might think that January and February are quiet times for property sales, you shouldn’t let this dampen your enthusiasm for a move. There are, however, a few things you should do to make sure your home looks as desirable as possible, both online and in person (or should that be in brick?).

Remove all traces of Christmas and New Year decorations or celebrations

We’ve all done it – left a Yuletide-looking candle on the mantlepiece or neglected to remove festive window clings until March. Even if you’ve boxed away the baubles and taken the tree to be shredded, there might be some evidence of past festivities lurking on a shelf or windowsill. 

Scour the place to make sure there’s nothing to indicate Christmas or New Year before your estate agent’s photographer arrives as this will “date” the photos. If you’re still on the market in February or March, then people will spot these tell-tale signs and wonder why no-one else has snapped up your place.

Bring in as much light as you can

With any luck, your photos will be done on a sunny day so that your interiors look as bright and vibrant as they can be. If your photos are booked on a day that turns out to be dark, then turn on all your indoor lights and open the curtains as wide as they go.

Hold viewings during the day if possible

The evenings are getting lighter in January and February, but if your viewings are conducted mainly after work hours, they’ll be in the dark. Try to organise appointments for weekend daytimes, or even early mornings if this is feasible. Lots of us are still working from home, so if you can vacate the place for 30 minutes, you could shift your viewings to daylight hours.

Pretend that it’s spring already

Spring always gets people hankering after new beginnings, especially at the end of several cold, dark, damp months. Invest in some bright cushions, throws and curtains, as well as in some fresh flowers, so that people feel they’re casting off the winter gloom as soon as they step over your threshold.

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