Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Property Industry Eye. Read the original article for full details.

Foxtons Urges Homeowners to List Now for Christmas Moves

Foxtons has advised homeowners who wish to move before Christmas to bring their properties to market now. The estate agency warns that waiting until autumn could leave too little time to complete a sale before the end of the year.

Foxtons is increasing its call for new instructions ahead of what it describes as one of the busiest periods for the UK housing market. The agency states that sellers who list during the summer will be best placed to benefit from increased buyer activity later in the year.

According to Foxtons, transaction timelines in many parts of the country are still stretching over several months. The company highlights that vendors targeting a year-end completion should act sooner rather than later to avoid missing the festive deadline.

Foxtons provided figures on seasonal market activity, noting that winter is the quietest season, with an average of 275,000 homes sold, accounting for 23% of annual market activity. Spring sees an average of 279,000 homes sold, or 24% of annual activity. The market gathers pace in summer, with an average of 307,000 homes sold (26% of annual activity), and reaches its peak in autumn, with 323,000 homes sold, representing 27% of the annual total.

The agency points to data from the HomeOwners Alliance, which shows it takes between 10 and 21 days on average to prepare and list a property for sale. Once listed, it can take between three and 14 weeks for an offer to be accepted, followed by a further 10 to 12 weeks to exchange contracts. The final stage, from exchange to completion, can take between one and 28 days. In total, Foxtons states that the average time from listing a home to completing the sale is around five and a half months.

Foxtons concludes that homeowners hoping to move before the end of the year should now be preparing their property for market. The agency notes that buyers tend to become more active in summer after the quieter winter period, particularly those looking to move before the new school year or ahead of Christmas.

For letting agents and inventory clerks, these timelines and seasonal trends may impact the scheduling of property checks, inventories, and tenant transitions as the year-end approaches.