time is well and truly running away from us, especially when it comes to property.
The typical property campaign (and let’s be honest here, there isn’t much “typical” about 2020), would see anywhere up to a few weeks on market, contract signed and then a 4-6 week contract period prior to settlement. With Christmas about less than 8 weeks away, that doesn’t leave much room for error if your goal is to be out by then.
While there is that time pressure to be ready, its generally worth fighting for the timeframe – buyers are rarely more motivated than at the end of the year, as they look to start the new year fresh (“new home, new me”) and line up for new schools, new jobs and more. Add to that the attraction of putting up the Christmas tree in a new home and you’ve got the ingredients to see decisions being made.
So what do you do to get that contract signed and be ready to move? Well, move quickly! There will generally be more buyers active in November than we are likely to see in December, as everyone works to that Christmas deadline so you really want to be on-market as soon as you can to get the full value from the month.
Coordinate any maintenance, staging and decluttering as early as you can, particularly to avoid missing out as contractors get booked out quickly by other like-minded sellers. Do your best to get gardens under control as well, and given the weather as green as you can!
With the property ready to go, this isn’t the time for a soft launch either – bring out all the bells and whistles from day one to give yourself the best chance for success. Particularly given the results we are seeing at the moment, with offers coming in early you are better to have the full marketing strategy in place so you can be more confident that the offers in front of you are the best offers.
Speaking of offers, when they do come in, don’t stretch things out longer than you have to. Talk to your agent and any other financial advisors, and keep in mind that its not official until an approved contract is signed. Once that contract IS signed though (and contract conditions fulfilled) hopefully you can relax by the holidays!