Unfazed by viewings? Keen to sell? Keep your house on the market
DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON
Q My flat has been for sale for 6 months and I think I should take it off and try again in the New Year. My agent doesn’t agree, who’s right?
A Selling your home is stressful. Keeping your things in storage, having to keep your place tidy in case buyers bother turning up for a viewing, and then walking your dogs while they’re in your flat can be a real pain.However, while many people had hoped that the autumn market would prove busy after a notably quiet summer, it doesn’t seem as if the market is going to pick up until the New Year. I am generally of the opinion that trying to sell your house over the Christmas period is a waste of four weeks of marketing, too, so taking a break might do you some good, but be prepared for a long layoff. Things won’t get better overnight. But your agent might be right. If you’re not particularly troubled by the inconvenience of viewings and are keen to sell, it would be wise to leave it on the market. The lackadaisical nature of the market seems here to stay and it rarely kicks back to life until mid-February. It is unlikely, then, that returning your property to the market in the New Year will prove more advantageous than keeping it on. All it takes is one person, the right one, to see it and buy, and by taking your house off, you might miss them.