How To Reduce Time On The Market And Spend 2024 In Your New Home

It’s no secret that it has been quite a tumultuous year, which has encouraged many homeowners across the UK to consider listing their homes for sale as soon as possible to reduce time on the market and guarantee a speedy sale. Although it may be a little too late to list your home in time for a sale before Christmas, now is the perfect time to get your home on the market in time for a New Year sale and spend 2024 in your new home. However, ensuring that you spend as much of 2024 as possible in your new home isn’t merely about getting on the market as soon as you can, but about marketing your property correctly. Here are Centrick’s five best tips for reducing the time you spend on the market so you can make the most of 2024 in your dream home!

Take Advantage Of Portal Traffic

Getting listed over December with the aim to exchange contracts in early 2024 allows home sellers to take advantage of the festive surge in portal traffic. In fact, Boxing Day is the most popular day of the year for potential purchasers to search for their next dream home, with Zoopla noting in 2020 that their site traffic was boosted by 70% on December 26^th. We anticipate that this boost will be even more impressive this year as demand for property across the UK continues to grow, whilst supply and new stock remains relatively low.

List At A Fair Price

With the market reacting to factors such as inflation and changing mortgage rates, it’s important to have an astute understanding of what your current property value is. The first step of getting listed at a fair price is obtaining a trustworthy valuation of your property that reflects the current property market whilst not setting your price so high that it deters interest. Consulting with a local selling agent that understands the specific trends within your neighbourhood makes a great start. At Centrick, we offer no-obligation valuations, and even Instant Valuations that combine our knowledge of your local neighbourhood with wider market trends and predictions to provide you with an accurate guideline of what you could achieve for your home.

Showcase Key Features

With the pages of Rightmove and Zoopla filled with potential properties, your next purchaser will need to spot something special to book a viewing and eventually place an offer on your home. That’s why it is so important to highlight the key internal and external features of your property to make it stand out to your future purchaser – this includes features within your house, and local amenities that make your home more attractive.

Whether your home is packed full of older characterful features, or is equipped with the newest technology, make sure you show it off on your listing! Include up-close images of the most interesting aspects of your home and provide details of what unique features lie inside. Got a park nearby, a supermarket, or a high-performing school? Make sure to include a map to demonstrate proximity to these important features, as this may help you attract families that are looking for nearby amenities rather than internal style choices.

Final Finishing Touches

The approach to Christmas presents the perfect opportunity for you to clear out your home, organise your belongings and carry out a few minor repairs that could be holding your property back from achieving its best possible price. Whilst your home is clean and tidy in anticipation of Christmas visitors, your home will look particularly photogenic, which will make for a more appealing listing. Such a festive clear-out also makes it easier for you to make any minor touch ups that could take your house from scruffy to perfect – paint over any scratches, rejuvenate your skirting boards and straighten up your picture frames for selling perfection.

Find A Stellar Agent

Lastly, to reduce your time on the market and spend as much of 2024 in your next home as possible, you should find a good local agent. Not only will an established local agent have a list of pre-existing contacts – likely searching applicants that have lost out on other properties recently – but they can be trusted to astutely organise viewings, carry out affordability checks and market your property to the best of their ability. A stellar agent can truly transform your odds of a quick and easy sale.

Ready To Spend 2024 In Your New Home?

2024 is creeping ever closer, and time is running out for you to take advantage of the 2022 festive boost. For more information on how to reduce time on the market so you can spend as much of 2024 in your new home as possible, contact our friendly team of local property experts using the form below.

Looking for your onward purchase? Centrick have properties available across the West Midlands and beyond – check out our range of listings here!