Is it time to consider Northampton Christmas already?!

Sleigh it ain't so! Northampton Christmas fast approaches.

Love it or hate it, the Christmas / holiday season is fast approaching. Can you hear those sleigh bells starting to ring-ting-tingling for another Northampton Christmas! A naturally expensive and busy time for all. And, most importantly for the property market, the time when everyone is in a rush to get their properties completed. Whether it's selling or buying, nobody wants to deal with managing the complications of a big sale & move during an already turbulent time.

Let's breakdown some of the information provided by Dataloft.

• The countdown to Christmas is on, with just three months left for buyers hoping to be in their new home for the holidays. It currently takes an average of 63 days to secure a buyer, slightly longer than the 60 days recorded at the same point last year.

With the period of sales increasing, it's not a surprise that people will be in a rush to make a decision. On the plus side, this will see a surge of offers on properties. On the down side, if you've not got an offer by December, you might find your wait could be longer than you'd prefer.

In lettings, it's a similar story, with void periods being an average of 21 days. But you'll find that the turnover of tenants does slow down. Tenants would be less inclined to deliver a notice to vacate unless they have to. Those who need to move, though, will still be eagerly seeking accommodation during this period.

• Once an offer is accepted, completion usually takes another four to five months. In a survey, only 29% of sales completed within three months of going under offer, while around half (51%) were finalised within five months.

• Still, more than four out of five sellers (82%) expect the move to be wrapped up in under three months, showing a clear gap between expectations and reality.

Fundamentally, people need to be realistic with property. For both sales and lettings. There are always plenty of factors to consider.

• Area: You could have the best property in the block, but if your property is located next to a frequent construction site, you can except people aren't as excited to move into the home.

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• Presentability: How you market your property is just as important as the property itself. You'll never sell people on the potential of the property without first giving them something to go off of. Whether it be fantastic photos or a house tour, find what most makes your home look best.

• Season: As we've discussed, when to put your property on the market is just as important as where you'll put it. Find the time when most eyes will be on your property and when most people are able to pursue it.

• Price: Everyone would love to get exactly what they want, but sometimes you need to consider the feasibility of your target market. Is it a niche little home better suited for those with less funds? Or is it a modern and updated home fit for a high-wage professional family? Think about what everyone is charging for their properties.

As Dataloft describes:

• Pricing a property correctly from the start is key to moving faster, as overpriced homes are far more likely to linger on the market and risk leaving sellers without a sale to celebrate this Christmas. Source: Rightmove, Dataloft by PriceHubble, Property Academy Home Moving Trends Survey 2024

So (or should that be "snow"?), what does this mean for you?

So, the holiday season isn't all bad, but it does have plenty of important factors to consider when making a decision on what to do with your property.

Looking to get more advice from award winning Estate Agents?

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