PSP Homes

By Josh Wickwar

August is traditionally one of the quieter periods in the property calendar, particularly in an area such as Hurstpierpoint where so many families live.

Once the schools break up, diaries fill with holidays, childcare and days away, and property searches naturally take a slight back seat. Viewing numbers tend to soften during late July and August before activity builds again as we move into September. That said, it would be wrong to interpret the summer slowdown as a lack of demand. Between 1st July and 9th August, 23 sales were agreed in the BN6 9 postcode alone, which is a healthy level of activity during what is traditionally one of the quieter periods of the year.

What we have noticed this summer is a real case of quality over quantity. Overall viewing numbers may be a little lower, but those buyers who are viewing tend to be more serious. They are often further along in their thinking, clearer about what they want and more motivated to act when the right property becomes available.

We have continued to agree sales throughout the summer, including on homes that have been available for a little while. It is a useful reminder that viewing numbers on their own do not always tell the whole story. Some homes sell to their fifth viewer. Others might take 15, 20 or even 25 viewings before the right person walks through the door. If you are consistently attracting viewings and the feedback is broadly positive, sometimes patience is just as important as making changes. It can become a case of when rather than if. There is, however, an important distinction between being patient and simply being overpriced. This is not a market in which I would recommend “testing the market”. Buyers currently have plenty of choice and are extremely well informed. Before they even arrange a viewing, they will have compared your property against almost everything else available locally. Launching noticeably above where the evidence suggests a property should be positioned can mean missing the most valuable period of a marketing campaign: those first few weeks when the property is new to the market and interest should be at its strongest.

Pricing does not mean giving a property away. It means positioning it correctly enough to generate competition and give yourself the best chance of achieving the strongest possible result. Presentation is equally important. Buyers make very quick decisions online, so photography, styling, video and the overall quality of the marketing all matter. The objective is not simply to put a house onto Rightmove; it is to make somebody stop scrolling and want to come and see it.

As we move towards September, attention naturally turns to the autumn market. September and October are traditionally two of the most important months of the year, particularly for buyers and sellers hoping to be moved before Christmas. Once holidays are over and schools return, normal routines resume and property searches tend to move higher up the priority list. Christmas also creates a very real deadline. If someone wants to be unpacking boxes in their new home before the festive period, decisions increasingly need to be made during the early autumn.

The summer has therefore given us plenty of reason for confidence. Twenty-three agreed sales in BN6 9 since the beginning of July demonstrates that buyers are still out there and transactions are happening. But it remains a selective market. Price well, present beautifully, make your home easy to view and be prepared to show a little patience where the evidence supports it. There is demand, but sellers need to give themselves every opportunity to capture it.