When is the best time to sell a property?

Words by Jennifer Harrison , Content Lead

This article first appeared on our blog

It’s the start of a new year, and if you’re planning to sell your property in 2025 you might be wondering when is the best time to sell a property? Read on to find out when is the most popular time to sell a house.

When selling your home, the main things to consider are your circumstances and what is the right time for you, as opposed to trying to play the wider market to your advantage. However, there typical trends that we see each year - conventional peaks and troughs – and, though it shouldn’t dictate your decision making, being aware of these patterns might help you decide when to put your house on the market.

Is there a prime season for selling property?

If you do have the luxury of being able to choose when to sell your property, you might want to consider when your house is likely to sell quickest. Without the ability to see into the future, and without considering your target buyer, there are no guarantees as to what time of year might be best. However, in general, some seasons typically see faster house sales as outlined here:

Spring

It may come as no surprise, but spring is one of the most popular times for both buying and selling property. With many people beginning to drag themselves out of the gloom that comes with ‘post-Christmas’ winter, more hours of sunlight and the pop of colour that comes with flowers starting to bloom can give people a sense of hope.

Often, properties look better in spring than they do in those early winter months and, for the most part, buyers aren’t distracted by any major celebrations (Christmas, Diwali) or going away for their summer holidays. Additionally, from a buyer’s perspective, buying your home in spring means you’ll be able to enjoy your new property that summer in all its glory.

It’s important to consider, on the flip side, whilst there are more buyers it can become a saturated market as there can also be more sellers. In this scenario, pricing your house competitively is going to be key if you want it to entice buyers.

Summer

Although summer is a popular time for movers – who wants to be loading up furniture in the pouring rain – it’s not always the busiest time for house hunting, and therefore buyers making offers. This can be to a number of things, such as people enjoying some time away during the summer holidays, or families – knowing it can take weeks to complete – wanting to ensure they’re in the new property before a new school year having looked earlier.

However, this doesn’t mean summer is a total no go for house sales – in fact, the buyers that are looking tend to be driven by time for the same reasons as above. Many buyers will want to complete as quickly as possible so they can move whilst the weather is still dry and, for those with children, before the new academic year begins.

Autumn

With buyers in autumn often hoping to be able to move in before Christmas, this can be a great time of year to put your house up for sale. Whilst there might be fewer buyers than in the spring months, the buyers that are looking are usually hoping to do so quickly.

On top of this, if the weather is still mild your garden – if you have one - will usually still look good, and you’re not contending with long school holidays which can reduce the number of viewings.

Remember, if you are planning to get your house sold before the festive season arrives, the earlier you can put your house on the market in autumn the better.

Winter

December can be a notoriously tricky time to sell, as many buyers will have hoped to complete their move before the festive season. Often, if your home is not on the market before December, it is worth waiting until January – a big time for change - when buyer’s start to think about the upcoming year.

However, if you do need to move at this time, it’s worth noting that buyers who are shopping throughout December are likely to be serious movers and so provided their mortgage process can be completed quickly, it’s not impossible to sell at this time.

On average, properties in the UK go under offer within 38 days, but this can vary depending on the type of property and where you live. After this, all the paperwork begins and the whole process can take a lot longer before the buyer has completed their purchase.

As stated above, there is no ‘perfect time’ to sell your property, only what is right for you. Often, if you’re selling you will also be buying, so keep your eye on the market to ensure you align the two. Speaking to your estate agent will help you understand how long properties in your area are taking to sell, so be sure to seek plenty of advice in advance, especially if your move is time sensitive.