January is a great time to put your home on the market with a reported spike in buyers searching for property. Potential buyers are likely to have a renewed sense of energy and purpose as 2020 rings in, perhaps having made a new year’s resolution to move house.
Statistics show an increase in visitors to online selling sites such as Rightmove over Christmas and New Year as people start to plan a move.
If you think a change of home early in 2020 is right for you, here are a few things you can do to ensure it goes off without a hitch.
- Get your own property valued. Before you do anything else, it’s important to know how much your existing home is worth. Contact us at Belvoir and we will pop round and chat through everything with you. We have been in Andover for over 20 years and our experienced team can help you very step of the way.
- Make sure your home is ready to sell. De-clutter,
tidy, fix and clean to show your home off in the best light to prospective
buyers. Remember that first impressions are very important.
- Allow a For Sale board to be placed at your home. Even if you don’t think there will be much passing traffic, there is nothing like word of mouth to help sell property.
- Research your options for mortgages and secure a ‘decision in principle’. This will really speed up the process when you find the home of your dreams. Sound independent mortgage advice is so important as there are so many options to consider. Let us fix you up an appointment with one of our first-class advisors.
- Take time to study the local market. You will quickly get a feel for what properties are available at what price and you can start to narrow down the areas you would like to focus on and the style of home you would prefer (and can afford).
- Allow your Estate Agent to conduct the viewings for you. At Belvoir, unlimited accompanied viewings are included in your selling package. We understand which features of your home are important to point out to prospective buyers and we have great local knowledge. Those viewing will also feel more relaxed and able to ask questions if the owners aren’t there.
- Start looking for solicitors and removal specialists sooner rather than later. These services are in high demand and it makes sense to get in touch with them as soon as you can. We have a number of excellent companies that we have worked with and we are happy to recommend.
- Don’t rush into any decisions. Buying a house is undoubtedly one of the most significant financial choices we will make in our lives. Take time to be sure that you are completely happy with the property before making any commitments.
If you don’t manage to secure a sale immediately, don’t be discouraged! There is another spike in house-buying around the Easter period, when the start of Spring stirs up a desire for change. All the hard work you did at the start of the year to prepare for a move will still be valuable later on.