When is the best month to sell your house?

We all know that Spring is generally the best time to sell your house. The bright daylight will make your home look lovely and people tend to have clear schedules. But what about an exact month? We’ve dug a little deeper than just seasons and have searched out the best month for all different kinds of properties.

 

To sell a home successfully (for the most amount of money in the shortest possible time), it’s essential that you find the right buyers. This is, after all, what it comes down to – finding those people who are keen to move into your house and are willing to put an offer in straight away for its full value (not to be confused with asking price). Timing is everything when it comes to finding these buyers. They’re out there, but if they aren’t looking for a home when you market yours, there’s little hope in them finding it. This is why it’s difficult to pin down an exact month that’s best for selling houses; because different houses appeal to different buyers who are all looking at various times of the year. Therefore, it’s often best to think about the best month in relation to each various type of property. Here’s a good overview of what’s typically on the market in the UK.

One/two-bedroom flat
These types of properties tend to appeal to young professionals. Depending on the asking price, it might also appeal to first-time buyers. With Christmas out of the way, lots of young professionals start looking in February. They also tend to start searching in September, when they’re no longer busy with summer holidays and weekends away, and would like to get moving before Christmas.

Three-bedroom house
As classic family homes, these tend to attract second-steppers who are climbing up the ladder and either have children or are planning to have a family in the near future. Try to avoid selling this kind of house in school holidays when your target buyers may be busy trying to find childcare or running around after the children themselves. April is a good month to sell three-bedroom houses as the target buyers are likely to be looking now, thanks to Easter being out of the way and with the summer holidays a couple of months away.

Four-bedroom house
Likewise, these properties tend to appeal to families and are usually afforded by people who are moving onto their third or fourth property. You could go for April, as you would if you were selling a three-bedroom house. However, February might be even more effective, as you’ll avoid the masses of houses that are coming to market at this time. This is important as you need yours to stand out because your buyers are likely to be experienced in viewing houses and more selective in what they choose.

Five-bedroom house +
Larger houses and luxury properties are typically more difficult to sell, simply because there are fewer buyers out there and they are searching for something truly special. The best month to sell a luxury house is typically in April, just like the family houses. This is because it’s a busy time in the property market, and you need to get yours out there when the optimum number of buyers are searching. But be careful, lots of other properties will be coming to market at this time, so make sure yours is marketed efficiently and has superb photos.

Conclusion
So what do we think? Is it February or April? Well, we would say April for most houses. It’s usually free of school holidays, often has sunny days and it’s popular – and when lots of people selling, lots of people are buying, too.