Back to school, back to selling

Blink and you’ll miss it, but those mid-August weeks, beneath shooting star-emblazoned skies, have a peculiar energy. One minute you’re buying the latest garden furniture and pizza oven accessories, the next, you’re stocking up on back-to-school essentials.

Love it or loathe it, the end of the school holidays has officially begun and with it there’s that growing sense that life is about to snap back into routine.

For the housing market, that shift is just as real. Which means, it’s the perfect time to get your move back on track.

Whether your home’s been on the market all summer without the interest you’d hoped for, or you’ve simply spent the holidays wondering whether it’s time to move, now is the moment to take stock.

The “Quiet Summer” Myth

There’s an unspoken assumption that selling homes in August ‘isn’t the done thing’. After all, everyone’s away, the children are underfoot, buyers are distracted. But the truth is, the summer “slowdown” isn’t what many people think.

Rightmove’s latest report shows that while asking prices have dipped this summer, buyer activity is actually up. Enquiries from buyers are higher than this time last year, and best of all, more sales are being agreed.

So really, if you thought the market had gone quiet, you’re quietly ‘mythtaken’ (sorry). In truth, it’s just shifted.

The reality is, buyers have more choice and they’re taking the summer slowly, looking for the homes that really stand out.

The good news? The buyers never left – they’re out there and they want to move. The bad news? If your home is sliding down the listings, not getting much interest, it’s not the season holding you back: it’s how your home is being presented.

The best news? As August drifts into September, there’s never been a better time for a marketing makeover.

Time for a Mid-Year Mindset Reset

Just as children head back to school with new pencil cases, clean exercise books and shiny shoes, refreshing your home’s marketing and presentation can also set your sale off on the right foot for the autumn.

The perfectly pressed uniform; the neatly groomed hair; that smiling, perfectly posed first-day back photo shared with family: it’s not that dissimilar to the way in which we present our homes.

Selling a home is, in fact, selling the promise and vision of all the potential that home has to offer.

Ask yourself:

• Do my photos truly sell the lifestyle of this home, or just the rooms?

• Does the description make people feel something, or just list features?

• Has my agent offered a presenter-led, high-quality and immersive video tour of my home?