30
Sep
New Home by Christmas
With Christmas fast approaching Nick Churton of
Mayfair Office makes a few observations on how there is
still time to be settled in a new home for Christmas.
The race is on. The holiday gear has been put away for
another year. The children are back at school. Mince
pies and Christmas decorations are already on the supermarket
shelves. It must be October, and the rush for some is to sell
their property and buy a new one in time to put those decorations
up this year.
It’s as
though Christmas decorations will make a new property an instant
home. Nice thought. But it is usually time that makes a
home. And time is not really on the side of October sellers,
unless they adhere to some hard and fast seasonal rules.
So here are six
top tips to help move things along before Christmas 2011.
1. Try not to apply an arbitrary timetable to your sale and
purchase - especially one that is influenced by Christmas. It could
add unnecessary pressure at an already stressful time. Ultimately
the speed of property transactions rests on price and not on
whimsical desire.
2. Price your property today based on what someone will
realistically pay and not the sum you need to buy the property you
want, or the amount you think you should have. Therein lies
disappointment.
3. Be flexible. Yours will not be the only agenda. Others
in the transaction, and in allied transactions, will have their own
agendas too. Be reasonable.
4. Clean, paint, de-clutter, shine, stage, beautify and equip
for all you are worth. Lots of other savvy sellers will be
doing the same to attract a good buyer. You don’t want
to be left with a bad one just before Christmas.
5. Remember a house is not just for Christmas. It is for
all the year round. It is for you and your family. If
it is worth buying it really is worth waiting for.
6. If you do make it into your new home by Christmas say a very
big thank you to your estate agent. In this challenging
market he or she will deserve it!
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