Selling in the summer? The right time to sell your property
Spring is considered the best time to sell, whilst summer is seen as a dead season. Neither of these is entirely true. When is it really worth selling — and when does waiting end up costing you?
Every estate agent is familiar with the cycle: in spring, everyone’s looking; in summer, everyone’s away; in autumn, there’s a second wave of interest; and in winter, nothing happens. Sellers plan accordingly, bide their time over the winter, and want to advertise in March — but under no circumstances in July. The reality is more nuanced — and often more favourable for sellers than they realise.
We’ve sold properties every month for almost twenty years, and the best deals haven’t always been in the spring. This article dispels the myth surrounding the calendar — and explains what really matters.
The Myth of Spring
Spring is indeed the time of year when there are the most people looking to buy a property. The days are getting longer, gardens and terraces are coming into view, and anyone who decided to move house over the winter is now getting started. But spring is also the time when competition is at its fiercest: all the sellers who have been waiting out the winter are advertising at the same time. The property is just one of many on the market, and prospective buyers are comparing their options.
This puts the advantage into perspective. Greater demand coupled with greater supply does not automatically result in a better price — but rather more viewings, more comparisons and buyers who take their time, because the next property is due to come on the market next week.
What really defines the season
In the summer, there are fewer properties on the market, and those who are looking at that time are serious about it: families who need to move before the start of the school year; people moving in with a target date in September; and buyers who came away empty-handed in the spring and now want to make a decision rather than shop around. A property that comes onto the market in July faces less competition and prospective buyers with less patience. What’s more, a terrace looks its best in July — and a garden, of course, goes without saying.
Autumn brings a second wave of activity, often with buyers keen to finalise a deal by the end of the year. Winter is indeed quieter, but by no means dead: anyone viewing a flat in December has a good reason for doing so. And properties that look good in winter look good at any time of year.
What is more important than the month
The condition of the documentation. A current energy performance certificate, a clear extract from the land register, the utility value report, the latest service charge statements, the level of the building reserve fund, the minutes of owners’ meetings, plans, and, where applicable, the planning permission for the loft conversion — anyone who can produce all of this on the very first day will sell faster and more successfully than any calendar could suggest. Buyers who have to wait for documents lose interest or start haggling.
The market cycle. In a market that is picking up again, waiting costs more than choosing the wrong time of year ever could. Anyone selling in the summer of 2026 will be selling into a market with falling interest rates and growing demand — whether it is July or March, however, is of secondary importance.
And the price. A property that is priced correctly will find a buyer every month. One that is overpriced won’t find a buyer at all — and its value on the website decreases with every passing week.
How to make the most of the summer
Light is the best selling point, and there’s plenty of it in summer. Take photos in the early evening; arrange viewings when the sun is shining on the terrace, with the windows open and greenery outside. Anyone selling in the summer should show the property as it’s lived in during the summer — and not as it appeared in the February property brochure.
And he should be flexible: prospective tenants looking for a flat in the summer are often only in town for a few days. A viewing on a Saturday evening can make all the difference.
When waiting becomes costly
If you wait for the perfect moment, you often end up waiting too long. The market changes, interest rates change, and your own life changes. A flat sold in the summer becomes capital for the next step come autumn. One that waits until next spring incurs costs and risks in the meantime, along with the uncertainty of what the market will look like then.
Our advice: Sell when you’re ready, not when the calendar tells you to. We’ll prepare your property so that it attracts the right buyer whatever the season — with a full set of documents, a fair price and photos that show what life is really like here.
