Winter is coming and for many sellers, there is a sense of trepidation in the air. Traditionally, the darkest, coldest months are the slowest for property viewings, and for good reason. There is the interlude of Christmas, inclement weather that keeps people at home and the hibernation of home movers who put thoughts of buying on the backburner.
This year also has added layers of selling complexity. The stamp duty holiday is over, furlough has ended, no-one is really sure what will happen with Covid and there is a looming energy crisis – one that has already disrupted fuel distribution and casts a black cloud over gas supplies.
The hesitant mood is already being reflected in house prices. The run-away rises seen over the last six months have been pegged back, with the Nationwide reporting that the value of bricks and mortar was up just 0.1% in September 2021, compared to 2.0% in August.
What is also cooling down as fast as the temperature is the appetite to conduct viewings. Tempting people out to visit property is invariably easier in the summer when there are lighter evenings, milder spells of weather and Bank Holidays filling the air with an easy optimism.
It’s not all gloom and doom, however. It is still possible to sell your home during winter, even if viewing requests have started to dry up - you just need to take the right approach.
From Danish hygge to Dutch gezellig, you could tap into one of the many Scandinavian trends that embrace winter living when setting the scene. The idea is to make your home as cosy as possible when people arrive for a viewing – think candle-lit lanterns, fairy lights, open fires and the smell of cinnamon cookies wafting from the kitchen.
You could also cancel Christmas. As radical as it sounds, a property festooned with inflatable snowmen and a tangle of tinsel won’t look its best when it comes to viewings. Your interior may feel overwhelming and overcrowed – not to mention your decorations will date when your property was photographed (and issue if your agent is still using those images to sell your home in May). If you must make the open market over Christmas, pare back as much as possible with a minimalist mantra in mind.
If this sounds too much like hard work, there are alternatives. You could simply wait until the New Year to market your property – a time when people generally make resolutions to start viewing again. Or you could suspend your current marketing campaign until after Christmas. This will undoubtedly take the pressure off but by doing this, you may risk missing out on those serious buyers who need to make an offer now and move as quickly as possible.
If you need to sell property fast but find the viewing diary is looking empty, don’t panic. Open Property Group purchases without a single viewing. There is no ‘open market’ element and no estate agents – we simply buy from you as a private cash sale. And our offer stands, whether there’s a snow storm raging outside or a life-size Santa in the garden.
We are guaranteeing completion before Christmas and Open Property Group is the only person who needs to visit your property. Get your free cash offer today and stop worrying about viewings.
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