Spring into action to sell your home

Spring is usually one of the busiest seasons for us estate agents. Homes are at their most photogenic, with bulbs and blossoms, the sunlight is sharper and and the gardens cut back ready for summer blooming.

We also feel a bit happier after the long winter months, and families want to move before the school Summer holidays. So this is a great time to put your home on the market.

The slump that everyone was predicting before the New Year has failed to arrive, and houses in the country towns and villages are still moving faster than city dwellings. Property prices have dropped slightly in February, so expect a realistic valuation for for your house, and last month’s figures showed homes were taking an average of 69 days to sell, so as long as your expectations are sensible, this is a good time to sell or rent out your home.

The Bank of England has been raising rates in an attempt to quell inflation, so the buyers or renters viewing your house will be genuine, not the tyre kickers of recent years. Fixed mortgage rates are available at anything between 4% and 4.5%, which is high compared to recent years, but still good value if you can remember as far back as the 80’s and 90’s when many of us were staring at 10-15% and gazundering.

According to Rightmove many sellers are now showing restraint and holding their prices accordingly, so if you are sitting on the other side of the fence, and looking to buy, or trade up, this is the first time in a while that you can relax for a month or two to look around whilst you sell yours.

If you are planning to sell, then we would emphasise the clean air, country walks and space that Sandy and it’s surrounding towns and villages enjoy, this is what potential buyers are striving for. Also, the schools and communication links are better than most. Buyers are looking for low levels of noise, and pollution, close proximity to good schools, GPs and pharmacies. They desire supportive local communities, so our towns stand out more than most.

What’s next for house prices?

The housing market has returned to life since last year’s shockers from the government, as mortgage rates ease and while the volume of homes being bought and sold is unlikely to return to the levels we’ve seen over the last couple of years, many analysts are predicting sensible growth levels, probably back to numbers in 2019 (or 1.2 million households). There may be some softening of prices later in the year, so selling now makes a lot of sense. Why not give us a call for a valuation, and see what yours is worth?
Just call me ; James Bickers on 01767 691 122 and I’d be delighted to pop out and meet you.