With the UK housing market on the up and up and promising signs that the economic recovery is taking hold, our Head of Agency for Kent writes about why the start of the year could well be an opportune time to think about selling your home.

Christmas may be a time for turkey and telly, and over-imbibing with family and friends, but the immediate aftermath is a good time to review your property and think about whether it’s really right for your current circumstances.

Why? For the simple reason that the festive period usually involves people spending more time together in the home, so it’s a good time to appraise whether the property still delivers on a practical front – think location and size.

There are different reasons for wanting to change: maybe you’ve welcomed a new addition to the family, you’re thinking of buying a pet or you’d like more space in the garden for an outdoor eating area, or some stables or even a swimming pool.

Most sellers go into the market determined that they’re going to sell, but many are put off from taking the leap.

The myth that ‘it’ll get better’

Sellers need to be practical and should not adopt the view that the market will somehow be ‘better’ in the months to come – because it probably won’t.

It always used to be claimed that May and June were the best times to sell, but looking back historically, some of the best sales have taken place in the New Year, often in January, February or March.

It’s much better to take a practical approach. You can’t foresee or control fluctuations in the housing market, so concentrate on what you can control: maximising your property and getting the best possible deal.

It’s pretty simple: if you’ve made the decision to sell, what’s stopping you? The problem with waiting for things to ‘get better’ is that you could end up waiting forever.

If you need a new pair of trousers, you need them now, not in July. The same applies to property.

New Year buyers

The New Year property market is usually peppered with two types of buyer: brand-new buyers, and those re-entering the market after trying, but failing, to buy at the back end of the previous year.

At this time, there can be fewer properties for sale but plenty of potential buyers, making January, February and March a period of low supply but high demand. This is no bad thing for vendors.

As we go into May and June, the market can saturate, dominated by high supply and high demand. Try and sell then and you’re one of many, many houses for sale.

But selling in a period of high demand but low supply means you are one of few houses for sale. You can then work hard on standing out from the competition, rather than getting lost in a market overload later in the year.

If you’re determined to sell, put your thoughts into action and enter the market. Remember that getting the best out of a sale is down to you, not what will or will not happen to property prices further down the line.

You could achieve as much as 5% more than if you make an ‘adequate’ sale at a later date. And if you manage to buy well too, you could make 10% on the whole transaction. Chasing a better market will rarely yield that much more, and your new home will cost more too.

If you have decided to sell in January keep an eye out for Ed's blog post next week - Five tips for early-bird sellers.