Selling A Property Out Of Season

Submitted by: Ben Greenwood

It is common knowledge that there are certain times of the year that are better for selling a property – and, of course, certain times when it is a very difficult task indeed.

Any estate agent will tell you that February through to June is likely to be the best time to sell your house or flat, as is September through to mid-November. Outside of these times though – August, December and January in particular – is a really bad time to sell.

The reason for this is that people only look to buy houses at certain times of the year due to lifestyle, other commitments and holiday periods. December is generally a bad time because most people are focused on Christmas. January is the same because most people are either short of money because of Christmas or are looking to spend what they have in the sales.

August – when you might expect people to be looking to buy due to the nice weather – is actually a bad time because most people are on holiday or looking after their children due to the summer holidays.

So how do you manage to sell a property during these ‘bad’ periods? There are a number of ways you can make your property more desirable and find the few buyers there are out there.

First of all, you need to be extremely choosy on where you market your property. Look for new companies opening up offices, or big companies moving to your area. With that comes employment and the need for homes from their employees – it could be your property they want.

In addition, choose the right estate agent, one that operates exclusively in the area you own your property or in the area that a new company is opening up is best. They will have better knowledge and better access to the reduced number of buyers.

For example, with the BBC moving from London to Manchester, choosing a Manchester estate agent is obviously a good move if you want to target employees moving North, choosing a city centre based one even better.

Make your property more attractive – even in the wind, rain and grey skies – by touching up paintwork, cleaning uPVC window frames and doors, keeping gutters clear and ensuring the garden is free from dead leaves and the lawn is mown. Literally anything you can do to the outside of your property is going to help you sell in bad weather, while in August imagine how good it will look in bright sunshine.

Another tip is to use photography of the outdoors of your property taken during a sunny period. Remember that the first sight of your property a potential buyer will see is in the estate agents window or in a brochure, so choosing good photography, even if it is ‘out of season’ is vital.

Finally, if you can afford to, dropping the price of your property could attract a savvy buyer looking to purchase out of season just for that reason.

Following these simple tips will help you find a buyer even if it is a bad time to sell. Of course, you should expect to find it more difficult and if you can wait to sell then you should obviously aim for the February to June window when you can expect greater success.

About the Author: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour,

estate agents Manchester

.

Source:

isnare.com

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