Winter has traditionally been labelled a slow month in the property market. But as times change, January is no longer regarded as a bad month to sell your home.

January figures

The idea of January as a slow month isn’t actually backed up by the figures.

Thanks to our changing habits when it comes to property, there are searches all year for new properties - whether that’s on a website or through an app.

In fact, Rightmove posted recorded website hits in January 2016. The site saw visits hit the 100 million mark for the first time ever in January, an uplift of 12% on January 2014. Page views also were over 1.5 billion for the first time ever.

And it’s not just the website. Rightmove also saw email and phone enquiries by home-hunters to agents on Rightmove hit 4.3 million for the first time in the same month, equating to around 100 enquiries every minute.

And while there tends to be fewer properties on the market in January, there is clearly demand for them. In January last year, the National Association of Estate Agents reported that supply of available housing was at its lowest level in 14 years. Yet demand soared, with an average 453 house hunters registered per branch - the highest figure for 18 months and 21% up on the previous month. Take a look at Strutt & Parker's houses for sale.

What are the benefits of selling in January?

Apart from the rising demand, there are a number of other benefits to selling your home at the start of the year. For one, there is less competition. If the figures are to be believed, January should be the perfect market for sellers, with lower competition from other sellers and plenty of demanding buyers.

Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or just taking stock of your currently property situation, the new year can spark previously reluctant buyers to become more active. These should be your target market.

So why wait?

If nothing else 2016 showed us how unpredictable life in general can be (only a very brave person would have predicted both a Brexit and Trump victory) and therefore, is there really such thing as the perfect time to sell? Geo-political events have typically had an effect on the economy and therefore housing market trends, but with uncertainty as ‘the new normal’, selling seasons are out the window too. There is no reason to delay.

Top Tips for selling before Spring:

• Stay competitive. People shop in January for bargains. Don’t under-price your home, but try and keep it realistic to attract the early savvy buyers.
• Avoid dated photos. It’s tough to get your photos right when selling in January. Lots of our clients tend to plan ahead and get photos of their house taken the summer before, ensuring their house is displayed in the best possible light with. If a picture speaks a thousand words, don’t underestimate the effect of a blue sky, green leave, and bellowing sunlight.
• View during the day. It’ll still be getting dark by the time most people finish work – not the ideal situation to sell a home. If you can, do viewings during the day to show off the house at its best. Make sure all curtains are open to make the most of what little light there is.
• Warm it up. No one likes a cold house so make sure the heating is on, especially in colder rooms like bathrooms and spare rooms.
• Keep up the kerb appeal. Fix anything that’s been damaged by the weather, clear the paths of leaves and try and drain any damp patches in the garden. If you’re off the beaten track, keep any access roads in good condition, especially in bad weather.