Why January is a good time to prepare to sell your house

January is the time of the year we all start making plans for all those things we hope to achieve across the year laid out in front of us.

What better time could there be to decide if the house you are in is the home you want to see yourself or your family in before next year? In this article, I will look at why January is a good time to start preparing to sell and just how you can do that.

The market refreshed

Traditionally the housing market takes a small decline from October through to December, before a rush of property is added in the spring. This is thought to be due to people not wanting to move in the lead-up to the festive season, but it is also very understandable that the thought of trying to transfer all of your valuable possessions from one house to another on a cold winter’s day is not one to warm many hearts.

Come the New Year, people start to look once again at taking that first step or the next step on the property ladder.  If you’re looking to sell within the year, now is the time to start making those plans a reality, letting you get on the market before everyone else. The sooner you get your property on the market, the sooner you can instruct a conveyancing solicitor who can begin to prepare all the basic documents you will need to sell your home, helping to speed up the process.

Spring sales

The vast majority of homeowners who choose to sell do so in the spring, leading to a saturated market full of competition for those looking to sell.  It becomes a buyers’ market which can lead to deflation in the price you can hope to achieve.  If you have a valuation you aim to sell at or even need to meet to make a move worthwhile, this could take longer during this period.

There is also more chance of being stuck in a property chain when the market is busier, extending your selling process as there will be buyers before you. The conveyancing process for a buyer is typically longer since there are more steps involved. Selling in the early part of the year allows your property to be seen before others join the marketplace making it far easier for your property to achieve its potential, and it is likely you will be earlier in the chain. As the market becomes more saturated, the time it takes for conveyancing also becomes longer, meaning you could wait months before you get your new property.

Getting ready to sell

Selecting your conveyancing solicitors early on can help you find the right team for you, making it easier along the way to have open communication. As a seller, conveyancing has fewer steps but instructing a solicitor when you decide to list your house allows the paperwork to start early and hopefully prevents delays when a buyer is found.

A big part of moving home is being ready for that big move day. So why not take advantage of the colder weather and that natural tendency to want to stay indoors to declutter?  Clearing out those things you no longer want or need helps you make things easier when it comes to moving and will have the added advantage of making the presentation of your home for sale so much easier too.

New year, new property

So, if you’re considering selling, why don’t you start getting ready now? Adding your property to the market before there is more competition could lead to a better sale for you. The sooner you begin finding and instructing a conveyancing team, the smoother the process is likely to go. Plus, getting your home ready is a perfect New Year’s resolution!

To discuss this, or any other related matter, please contact Jeremy directly on 01483 887766, email info@hartbrown.co.uk or start a live chat today.

*This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues

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Jeremy Jupp

Partner, Residential Property

Jeremy has extensive knowledge in Residential Property. He qualified in 1992 as has worked for the last 25 years in various locations across Surrey, including...

Jeremy Jupp- Partner, Residential Property

Partner, Residential Property

Jeremy Jupp

Jeremy has extensive knowledge in Residential Property. He qualified in 1992 as has worked for the last 25 years in various locations across Surrey, including Guildford, Godalming, Woking and now Cranleigh.

He is committed to providing a proactive, friendly and positive approach, with nearly 30 years’ experience as a residential property specialist. Jeremy strives to communicate clearly and effectively with all those involved in transactions he deals with, in order to achieve the best outcome for his clients. He endeavours to find pragmatic solutions to problems wherever possible.

Jeremy believes in building up a strong relationship with his clients in order to understand their aims and needs, and work with them to achieve these so far as possible.

Memorable cases Jeremy has worked on include completing a purchase within a week from instruction where his client was given a great incentive on a new build property if he completed that quickly.

Another involved the sale of a property where a Local Authority had acquired a strip of land along the frontage in the 1960s for potential road widening. They had granted a license over the land in exchange. The road widening never took place and the scheme had been abandoned, however, the buyers’ solicitors were not happy with the license arrangement that remained in place. Jeremy drafted a conditional contract clause which gave his client 9 months to resolve the issue with the Local Authority and to pay any premium agreed out of the exchange deposit. After lengthy negotiations with the Local Authority which involved taking Counsel’s Opinion in relation to the status of the license, an agreement was reached with the Local Authority just in time to enable him to give notice to the buyers’ solicitors to complete the sale.