According to a recent survey from Move with Us, 60% of estate agents believe it is twice as hard to sell a property during the Christmas period.
As many as 23% felt it was three times as hard and 12% believed it was four times harder.
Move with Us believe the best strategy is to embrace the season in order to attract homebuyers.
Robin King, Director, Move with Us, said: “Christmas is typically a quiet time of year for the property industry with around half the average level of new properties coming to the market.
“With this in mind, the season of goodwill provides a great opportunity for sellers as competition from other properties on the market can significantly decrease.
“We expect to see unique selling conditions this Christmas with less competition amongst sellers and the introduction of the Help to Buy scheme attracting new buyers.”
Move with Us have offered ten tips in order to make the most of the season;
1. Embrace the festivities and greet potential buyers with mince pies and a glass of mulled wine
2. Make sure the heating is on high so it feels warm and cosy inside for viewings
3. Be realistic and understand that transaction times will be longer at this time of year and that surveys may take longer to book
4. Do your best to keep selling times to a minimum by being legally prepared early on in the transaction
5. Put Christmas lights around the ‘For Sale’ board
6. Set a realistic asking price, Christmas isn’t a good time to test the market
7. Ensure good availability for viewings as they can be difficult to book with fewer hours of daylight and busy diaries
8. Don’t put up too many Christmas decorations as they may hide the features of the property
9. Avoid having any decorations in the marketing photos — you want to show the potential of your home at all seasons
10. Remember that Christmas can be a good time to sell as there is often less competition from other properties
