Deciding When To Sell

People decide to sell for a wide variety of reasons. It could be a work- related move, expansion to make space for new arrivals, or less need for space due to a reduction in the number of family members living at home. Some people just fancy a change every once in a while and others decide to cash in when they think they've ridden price rises as far as they can.

Before you start, think about what is involved in the whole process, how long it is likely to take, any external time or financial pressures that you may have and any other constraints that there may be, such as buying a new home to move into.

If time is a critical factor in your sale, then you could be in for a stressful time, so make sure you give yourself as much of it as possible. Not everything that can go wrong necessarily will, but cutting time deadlines fine will only add to the pressure and stress of what is already a far from hassle free experience.

Don't bank on the sale going through incredibly quickly. Even if you do find a buyer quickly, there are all sorts of other reasons why delays can hold up the sale. You rarely have much influence over when a buyer will come along or how long your property will be on the market.

One other important thing to do is to check with your lender that you are not going to be hit with all sorts of redemption penalties when you redeem your mortgage. As the costs of selling and buying mount up, you don't want to be hit with a bill for what can amount to thousands of pounds. If you do have to move but there are redemption penalties, try to consider other alternatives such as renting, at least until the redemption period is over.

When To Sell

For vendors, certain times of year are definitely more favourable than others.

For waterfront properties the active market tends to run from early April, once the ice goes out, until the end of November, when the snow starts to fly. The busiest time of that period is in the four months running from May through August.

When Not To Sell

The worst time to sell is when there are fewest buyers in the market. If interest rates are temporarily raised to calm the market, you may find that buyers are in short supply. If both your next door neighbours put identical houses up for sale at the same time, it may be a bad idea for you to do the same. So once again, try to follow the markets and read the signs. Following the news on this site should keep you in the picture.

In terms of the four seasons, autumn generally sees the housing market slow down. The reason for this is that winter tends not to be such a popular time for buyers, with the Christmas period a time when few people like to be moving house. Most buyers tend to prefer to wait until the new year.

Having said that, some properties have certain characteristics that are best seen at certain time of year. The sun may set beautifully giving rise to a fantastic view from one of the rooms for only a few months of the year or you may have a fantastic view during the winter months, which is obscured by greenery during the summer.

At the end of the day, much depends on your property. If it is in a sought after location, you should have no problem selling at a reasonable asking price regardless of the time of year or market conditions. Then again, if there are strong reasons that may put buyers off from acquiring your property, these are likely to be valid objections regardless of whether demand has gone through the roof in the market as a whole. But it does no harm to play the percentages and do everything possible to gain as much advantage for yourself as possible.