Timing your sale: season, market and your own position
There is a best time of year to sell. It matters far less than the price and the presentation, and it is not worth waiting a year for.
Property marketing has a seasonal rhythm. Spring, from late February to May, and autumn, from September to late October, are the busiest periods, because buyers with families want to move over the summer holidays and before Christmas.
The effect is real but modest. A well-priced, well-presented property sells in any month; a poorly priced one does not sell in any month. The season shifts the level of activity by a few per cent, which is much less than the effect of a price that is 5% too high.
The seasonal pattern
Activity peaks in spring and dips in late summer and around Christmas. But the dips have a compensating advantage: fewer properties come to market, so competition from other sellers is reduced, and a buyer who is looking in December is usually a serious buyer.
- Spring: highest activity, and the most competing properties on the market
- Summer: activity falls as attention turns to holidays, but so does competition
- Autumn: a second peak, with buyers wanting to move before the new year
- Winter: the quietest period, but buyers who are active are typically motivated
- Market conditions matter more than the month: a rising market lifts everything
The market question
Waiting for a better market is a real strategy, and it carries a real cost. If prices rise 3% over the year you wait but your carrying costs and the cost of the delay exceed that, you have lost money by waiting. The calculation also depends on what you are doing next: if you are buying in the same market, a rising market lifts your purchase too, and the net benefit is small.
The exception is when you are selling to rent, or moving somewhere cheaper, or leaving the market entirely. In those cases a rising market genuinely benefits you, and waiting may be worth it.
Your own position
The factor that matters more than season or market is your own circumstances. A seller under time pressure accepts less, because buyers can tell. A seller who can wait holds out for the right offer and usually gets it.
That means the most valuable preparation for achieving a strong price is not marketing at all — it is being in a position where you do not have to sell quickly. If you have a deadline, price realistically for that deadline and accept it, rather than pricing ambitiously and then discounting under pressure.
Common questions
- What is the best time of year to sell a house?
- Spring and early autumn are the busiest periods and generally produce the most buyers. But the seasonal effect is small compared to the effect of correct pricing and good presentation. A well-presented property sells in any month, and the winter market has the compensating advantage of less competition from other sellers.
- Should I wait for the market to improve?
- Only if the arithmetic supports it. Waiting has costs — the carrying costs of the property, the delay to your plans, and the risk that the market falls instead. If you are also buying in the same market, a rising market lifts your purchase too, which largely cancels the benefit. If you are selling to rent or leaving the market, waiting is more likely to be worthwhile.