You’d better be quick if you want to sell your home before Christmas

Homeowners looking to sell before Christmas need to get their property on the market pronto, according to a new study.

Data from estate agent comparison website EstateAgent4Me shows that homes listed in October have taken an average of 65 days to sell over the past two years.

This means that homeowners who want a sale agreed this side of Christmas should be looking to list their house for sale by 17 October.

Despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit and the general election, the data shows that the average length of time to sell a property has remained relatively constant.

Over the past two years on average, properties in the UK have stayed on the market for anywhere between 51 and 70 days.

The one factor which did provoke an increase in speed was the introduction of new stamp duty surcharges in Spring 2016, which prompted a flurry of fast deals in the months beforehand.

The New Year remains the best time to list your property for a speedy sale, with homes listed in January selling the fastest and the speed of sale slowly increasing in the months thereafter.

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, said: “Lots of homesellers set themselves a deadline of the end of the year to sort a sale. So if they want to settle in the festive season feeling relaxed, they need to put their properties on the market this week.

“Selling a home involves weighing up a lot of different factors and considerations. Sellers today can access a wealth of different information about their prospective agents, including how quickly they tend to sell a property.”

Average length of time properties listed in a specific month take to sell

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