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Planning on selling early next year? Sellers often wait until after Christmas to start the preparations to sell their property and then sadly miss out on the prime post-boxing day buyer boom. ⁠

⁠Did you know that every year, Rightmove and Zoopla see an extraordinary spike in property browsing during the post-Christmas Day festive period? Last year Rightmove had 51 million visits between Boxing Day and the first working day of the new year! That's a lot of eyes looking at properties.

There's no time like the present to get a head-start for 2023, by preparing your property for selling NOW!⁠ Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Gain a competitive advantage for your Property

1. Gain a competitive advantage for your Property

Selling in winter can in many cases get you a higher price for your property. With statistically fewer properties on the market in winter, there is less competition for buyers’ attention online, allowing your home to stand out from the (smaller) crowd of homes on sale. With fewer properties to choose from, winter buyers can be less likely to negotiate on price, to avoid missing out on your home.

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2. Take advantage of the favourable photography conditions

2. Take advantage of the favourable photography conditions

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" - unless you are getting a property photoshoot! When it comes to winter photography, we always try our best to avoid capturing properties covered in snow. Snow-covered property images, not only hide the scale and beauty of the property exterior but can also date the property photos to a particular time of year.

With Scotland predicted to experience quite a number of days of snow this winter, now is a perfect opportunity to get professional photographs of your property captured in early preparation for the new year. The snow will undoubtedly be arriving on our doorstep this winter, and so we strongly recommend taking advantage of the crisp (non-snow) winter weather while we still have it.

It's also worth noting that property photos containing festive items can date your listing. To avoid deterring buyers, it's always best to get any winter photography carried out before the festive decorations are out and on full display in your home.

3. Preparation is KEY to enter the market at the desired time

3. Preparation is KEY to enter the market at the desired time

The first step in the selling process is instructing an agent. When choosing an estate agent, it’s important to establish how the agent plans to market your property. At McEwan Fraser we build a bespoke property marketing strategy completely tailored to your home, never a one size fits all approach. You can learn more about marketing your property with McEwan Fraser Legal > HERE

Once you have chosen your preferred estate agent, you will be guided to sign an Estate Agent Agreement form, arrange a home report and sign off the all-important property brochure before going live on the market. All of these initial pre-market steps will require time and may be subject to unavoidable delays.

As the year draws to an end, we recommend setting aside time to choose your Estate agent and get a comprehensive insight into what you can expect to achieve for your property in today's market. This will provide good preparation and knowledge in advance of a 2023 sale.

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4. Get clear on any required home improvements before your splurge this Christmas

4. Get clear on any required home improvements before your splurge this Christmas

If your home is a bit run down you may want to consider some home improvements - but it's worth getting an estate agent's opinion on whether it's worth the expenditure. Our valuers will be able to advise on any required home improvements during the valuation to help maximise the value of your home.

Getting a valuation in advance of the new year will give you plenty of time to think about any work that needs to be carried out in the run-up to your property going on the market. It might even make you think twice about splurging on expensive Christmas presents this year!

5. Capture a Matterport Virtual tour in advance of the festive chaos

5. Capture a Matterport Virtual tour in advance of the festive chaos

Your home can feel very busy during the festive and new year period and you might not feel quite ready for viewers. However, don't let the fear of face-to-face property viewings scare you from preparing your home for the market this winter.

With the help of 360 Matterport tours, there is now no need to worry about face-to-face property viewings until you are completely ready to showcase your home in real life. With the help of pre-captured virtual tours, we can pause face-to-face viewings and simply advise your buyers to refer to your 360 Matterport virtual tour until you are ready for face-to-face viewings to commence again. Ideal for properties going live in time for the post-boxing day boom.

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