Why sell this January?

2025 was not a great one for the UK property market. Budgets, wars, economic and political uncertainty all conspired to derail what was otherwise a steady gently upward trajectory.

Although, as ever, the market remained remarkably robust, the increase in supply from pressurised sellers compounded with a nervousness from potential buyers, leading to a glut in properties for sale. A slower sales cycle, significantly prompted by a reluctance to buy ahead of what could have been a ground-shaking November budget, only exacerbated this.

But the brakes are now off. The budget is behind us and many of those properties that had been sticking in the autumn are now under offer, following a spate of price reductions to fit revised buyer expectations during a frantic December.

We expect that more properties will enter the market in the spring as those speculative sellers who were put off selling last year come to market. So, competition between sellers will be high once more.

But the smart money is on those homeowners who come to market ahead of this. Yes it’s winter; yes, it’s cold; yes, the evenings are still dark, and the garden is not looking its best. Bu there are thousands of buyers who should have bought last year but didn’t. They are well-informed about current stock levels, as the same old properties are wafted in front of them.

These are the buyers who are excited to see new listings. And they pay good prices too, because they know that a new to market property is not only likely to be popular with other buyers, but the seller is also unlikely to take a low offer until they have fully tested the market. But these won’t risk this testing in case they lose out. So, they buy quickly.

Additionally, the great indirect benefit of selling now, is that, as a seller, as soon as you go under offer, you put yourself in pole position as a genuinely hot buyer. Those properties coming onto the market in the spring cannot be bought by those buyers who still have a place to sell. But you’ll be in a strong position, under offer and good to go. You’ll be taken very seriously by local estate agents, and, as long as your finances are also in place (mortgage offer approved in principle) you should be able to select from a choice of properties and then negotiate from a position of strength.

Happy New Year indeed!

Nigel Fitzgerald

Proud Business Owner