Spring has traditionally been considered the best time to sell a house, but many external factors will need to be considered to determine the best time to go on the market.
Turbulent mortgage interest rates and economic uncertainty have created significant market caution over the last few years. With those rates seemingly becoming more stable, is now a good time to sell?
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Many hoped that 2025 would be the year we’d see significant falls in both inflation and mortgage interest rates. Those holding out for the best time to sell a house were eagerly awaiting a significant fall in the Bank of England base rate, which they hoped would signal the arrival of lower mortgage interest rates. Whilst we have seen a modest fall in the Bank of England base rate, from 4.75% in January to 4% in August, a fall had largely already been factored into mortgage interest rates in advance. As a result, mortgage interest rates have seen little real movement since the start of the year.
Global political and economic factors continue to plague the market, making the strongly predicted further falls in inflation and mortgage interest rates far less certain.
If you’re looking for the best time to sell a house, there are several factors to consider:
Although inflation has come down a lot from its October 2022 peak of 9.6%, it hasn’t come down as quickly or as consistently as hoped. We began 2025 with inflation at 3.9%. It then dropped slightly to 3.4% in March, before rising again to 4% in May 2025. Inflation plays a big role in buyer affordability. It will dictate when and how far interest rates might fall. The Bank of England have indicated that we won’t see a meaningful fall in the base rate until inflation is consistently closer to the target of 2%.
If we see the Bank of England’s base rate begin to fall, we’re likely to see this flow through to mortgage interest rates. Lower mortgage interest rates will mean improved buyer affordability, increased market confidence and economic growth.
Whilst mortgage interest rates are more stable than they have been at other points in the past year or two, there is still some movement in both directions as lenders respond to external influences.
At the moment, unemployment rates remain fairly low. Were that to change, it would likely have a big impact on the property market.
Salary growth was reasonably high in 2023 and 2024, as employees struggled to withstand uncomfortably high inflation. It’s unlikely businesses will be able to offer the same this year. If salary growth stagnates, buyer affordability will continue to be stretched and prices growth is likely to be less achievable.
At the moment, we’re in a buyer’s market. There are more properties available than there are buyers. This puts downward pressure on pricing. Should uncertainty abate and we see a growing number of buyers come to the market, it would create a positive uplift in property pricing.
There are pros and cons to selling a house during a period of uncertainty.
In an uncertain market, your pool of buyers is likely to be smaller. This means your property may take longer to sell and may achieve a more modest price.
The benefit of buying in an uncertain market, however, is that only serious buyers are in the market to move.
Danny Luke, managing director of property firm Quick Move Now, explains: “If you have a strong need to move, eg. you need more space to fit a growing family, you’re relocating, or you’re struggling with the cost of living and want to move to a more affordable property, I don’t think there’s a strong reason not to move. The property market is relative. You may sell at a more modest price than at the peak of the market, but you’ll also be able to buy at a more modest price. Potential buyers may have lots of properties to choose from, but this also means that you’re likely to have a bigger choice of properties. And, with less demand, you’re less likely to experience the upset of being gazumped.”
There will be pros and cons to selling your house at any time. These are some things you might want to consider if you’re thinking about selling your property soon.
Traditionally, Spring is the best time to sell a house. Christmas is over and done, but the summer holidays are still a way off. Those who started talking about moving at the start of the year have spent time preparing their property and are now ready to list it, which means Spring is traditionally a time for strong demand and strong supply.
Another popular time of year to sell is the Autumn. The start of the new school year will get parents thinking about being in the right area for school catchment and those without children may use summer breaks to think about their goals and plans for the coming year.
Summer and Winter are traditionally not the best times of year to sell. This is because buyers are likely to be distracted with other plans.
Your approach to buying a new property will need to be a little different in an uncertain market. These top tips will help you to improve your chances of a successful purchase.
It’s a buyers’ market. This means, providing you’re proceedable, you should be able to haggle for a good price. Being proceedable means you are either chain-free or have already found a buyer for your current property.
Recent figures suggest that 35% of failed sales collapsed due to buyers having difficulty securing a suitable mortgage. If you’re thinking about buying a property in the next few months, it’s important to get your finances in order. You should also speak to a mortgage lender to find out how much you might be able to borrow. It’s important to consider both how much you can borrow and what monthly repayments might be.
The average 2-year fixed mortgage interest rate currently sits at around 4.6%, but make sure you shop around to find the right mortgage for you. A mortgage broker is a good way to do this without adding multiple searches to your credit file. A mortgage broker should be able to present you with the best deals available for your personal circumstances. They will also be able to advise which products you’re most likely to be accepted for.
Unfortunately, around one-in-three property sales will fall through before completion, many of them due to chain collapse. To help maximise your chances of a successful move, it’s important to know how many people are in your property chain and how far along each transaction is. Struggling to sell your property and worried about holding up the chain? You could consider selling your existing home to a home buying company. A genuine cash home buying company will buy your property with their own cash funds on a date of your choice. This means they can buy your property in as little as a week, if needed. The sale is also guaranteed, so it will effectively make you a chain-free buyer and help to speed up your move.
Choosing the right conveyancing solicitor can make a big difference to the success of your move. Slow sale progression is a major bugbear for anyone trying to move house. Ensure you select a solicitor who is responsive and motivated. Remember, if they’re not great at getting back to you, it’s unlikely they’ll be great at getting back to your seller’s solicitor.
Communication is key when buying or selling a property. Little misunderstandings or a lack of contact can lead to tension that can jeopardise a sale. This means it’s important to keep talking at every step. Make sure you keep the estate agent updated on how any mortgage application is progressing and any other updates from your solicitor, so they can update the seller.
Get your cash offer now