Easter was early this year and in the lead up to the first major holiday period of the year we had our fair share of inclement weather, writes Nick Eley, from Watsons.
Conventional wisdom is to wait for freedom from the bad weather and the optimism and daffodils of spring, to put your house on the market.Finding a buyer in April or May also opens the prospect of physically moving over the summer, which appeals to many.
In my experience, the market is not as seasonal as it used to be. Online property searches, and there will many over the Easter period, more reliable cars and better road networks (the soon to be totally completed northern distributor road) will contribute to ease of access to property and we now live in a 365 day-a-year economy in which buyers purchase what they want, when they want it. Many home moves are brought about by events such as job moves, expanding families, school catchments, new relationships and retirement, to name but a few, but these don't necessarily arise at Easter! To illustrate this, as an agency we hold details of around 2500 active buyers at any given point and that number tends not to vary wildly due to the seasons. With the possible exception of Christmas week when most have other priorities, we have active buyers available to view properties all year around.
As with most things in life, there are some exceptions. Here are the rule breakers for this time of year:
'Premium apartments with a sunny terrace'; the notion of sitting outside with an ice cold G&T at the end of a busy day always looks most appealing in the summer than the winter time. Then there are rural 'lifestyle' properties;often purchased by summer visitors and those who fancy moving out from the city will be seen by many more 'drive-by' purchasers in the summer than winter. 'Rural' never has quite the same appeal in a cold and frosty winter than warm spring day. 'Retirement property'; elderly clients will often plan a summer move in the good weather. 'An exceptional garden'; if you have an outstanding garden, whilst you might be competing with others with colourful borders, buyers will see your property at its very best.
My offices are certainly very busy and I have been very encouraged by the level of properties coming to market and what appears to be a diminishing reluctance from owners to market their own homes before having identified their next purchase. So now is the time to get your home in order ready to market as we head into spring with longer days and hopefully sunshine!
You can contact Nick Eley at Watsons, sponsors of this column, on 01603 619916. www.watsons-property.co.uk
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