Will a new home be on your Christmas list?

75% of people in the North West would be happy to schedule a viewing for a new home over the Christmas period, according to survey by fixed-fee estate agency Yopa.

A national survey commissioned by Yopa and carried out by Censuswide indicates that Christmas is one of the most popular times for buyers looking for property online, suggesting that December is an ideal time for sellers to put their properties on the market.

Christmas is a popular time for viewing property in the North West, with almost a third of those surveyed here (29.2%) saying they have booked a property viewing in December before and 74.4% of people in the North West saying they would book a viewing between 18th December and 6th January if they saw a property they liked online.

Yopa reports that own buyer enquiries remain high over December, despite a seasonal dearth in seller instructions over the same period. Vendors typically prefer to wait until the New Year to list their properties.

Yopa’s Regional Director for the North West, Chris Smith, says:

“To achieve the very best price for our vendors, you not only need high levels of demand – you need low levels of supply. With an influx of buyers actively seeking properties throughout December but stock levels historically low, Christmas is the perfect time to get your property on the market to bring in viewings and competitive offers.”

Yopa surveyed 1,000 people aged 25-55 across the country, 500 of whom are looking to buy a property over the next five years. The survey also revealed that those in the North West spend on average 2 hours a week browsing property online, in line with the national average.

The Christmas period is often the busiest season for online property site, Rightmove, reporting over 25 million page views on Boxing Day alone browsing prospective new homes.

Yopa’s Chris Smith continues:

“We know buyers are using the Christmas break to browse properties online on their swanky new phones and tablets.  If your property photos have been taken in the winter, it’s clear that your home is fresh to the market. This will stand it in good stead against those local properties with gardens in full bloom, still languishing on the portals after months of marketing.”

Yopa launched in 2016 and has 125 local estate agents nationwide.