The best time of year to sell your house

Telegraph

09-07-2025

Forget freshly painted walls or the smell of baking bread – the trick to selling your home may just be to do it in the right season for your house.
A glorious garden in the summer, or underfloor heating in the winter, can sway a buyer to spend a little more on a home. In fact, sellers can make tens of thousands more by selling at the right time of year, a recent study has found.
Houses with a south-facing garden, an outdoor entertainment area and a hot tub can command a price of up to £22,000 more during the summer, based on the £324,000 average price of a three-bed home in the UK, according to analysis by property website Zoopla.
Even a balcony adds over £4,000 to a home's price tag if sold in the summer compared to other seasons.
Those planning to sell their home in the second half of 2025, and are bracing for a sluggish market, should time their sale accordingly to secure the best deal.
Tom Bill, of estate agent Knight Frank, says: 'The defining factor of today's market is that there's a huge amount of supply. With so many homes on the market, buyers are in control and are not in any kind of rush to make a decision.
'Combined with an overhang of stock from the stamp duty cliff-edge back in March, and a delay in people selling last year while people waited to see what the Labour Budget would bring, there's a huge amount of competition for sellers.'
Contributing to the surplus of property available to buy is landlords selling up because renting is not as lucrative any more. Increased taxes, higher mortgage rates and stricter regulations have triggered a spike in property investors getting out.
The proportion of landlords listing property for sale at the start of this year jumped by almost 50pc compared to last year, according to data from TwentyCi.
Meanwhile, homes with features such as wood-burning fireplaces or Aga-style range cookers can achieve a premium in the winter, the Zoopla analysis found.
Underfloor heating could command an additional £4,000 and good energy-efficiency measures add around £3,400.
Daniel Copley, of Zoopla, said: 'It's clear that homebuyers are swayed by the season, and in some cases, certain features can help sellers achieve more for their home.
'All homes differ, however, so sellers should get bespoke advice from an estate agent, who will be able to advise if their home might be more desirable and command a higher asking price during the summer.'
Claire Carter, of agent John D Wood & Co, added that while some features were seasonal, some could be attractive to buyers all year round.
'I'm seeing growing demand for natural swimming ponds or lakes, which tend to hold their appeal year-round. Buyers are increasingly aware of the health benefits – they're better for the environment, chemical-free and fit more naturally with the landscape.
'Unlike a traditional pool, which feels seasonal, a well-designed swimming lake can feel like part of the countryside, being usable in the summer and beautiful even in the winter,' she said.
Is there an optimum season for selling property?
Spring and autumn are typically the key months when it comes to property buying and selling.
During the summer, people's minds tend to be more focused on holidays and keeping the kids entertained while school is closed. And in the winter months, people tend to move less while they focus on Christmas and New Year festivities.
Bill said: 'Spring is usually a busy time, but this year it was different because there was the stamp duty change on April 1 so there was a rush from January to get completion through beforehand.
'Looking forward to the autumn we will be on the approach to the next Budget, with speculation in the run up often causing sentiment to drop.
'The good news is that we are expecting another interest rate cut in August which means the cost of borrowing should fall, boosting confidence in the property market. Buyers often have an ambition to be settled in their new home by Christmas.'
How long does it take to sell a house?
Unhelpfully, there is no definite answer for how long it takes a house to sell, it depends on where and what you're selling – and the market conditions at the time.
The most comprehensive measure of the time it takes to sell a home begins from the date it is first listed with an agent until the date of completion. On average, it takes 205 days to complete, according to data from property analyst firm TwentyEA, on behalf of agent Cavendish.
This is an increase of 10 days when comparing January to May 2025 with the same timeframe in 2024.
Faster completions are usually helped by pricing keenly. Nick Leeming, chairman of estate agent Jackson-Stops, said: 'In the current market, it's essential for sellers to remember there is always demand for a sensibly priced property.
'At a time when transactions on average are now taking more than 200 days to complete, sellers looking for a quick sale need to keep the realities of their local market front of mind.'
Should I put my house on the market before finding somewhere to buy?
If it's a competitive market, as a buyer you'll do well to be 'proceedable' – in other words, with an offer accepted on your current home.
There's no legal requirement for you to do so, but it puts you in a stronger position for a seller to accept your offer if there are other interested buyers – or even if there are several offers on the same place.
In fact, many people go one step further and sell first, place their things in storage and rent for a short spell. This makes you chain-free and in pole position in most cases.
However, this is only necessary if it's a very competitive and fast-moving area with a short supply of the types of home you're looking for.