When is the best time of year to sell?

The four things that change

• Competition. How many other houses like yours are on the market at the same time, and how directly they compete on street, size and price.
• How the house shows. A shaded section, a north facing living room, a garden, a fire, a pool and a deck all present differently depending on the light and the weather on the day people walk through.
• Who is around. Buyers travel, buyers have exams and school terms, buyers have busy stretches at work. Not everyone who wants your house is available to look at it in any given month.
• Your own move. The date you can be out, the date you want to be in somewhere else, and whether those two work with the campaign you would be running.

The more useful question

Rather than which month is best, the two questions that change the outcome are when your house shows at its best, and when your own move works.

If the property relies on sun and outdoor space, showing it in the season that flatters it is worth more than any calendar theory. If it relies on warmth, shelter and a working fire, the reverse is true. Look at what the house actually sells on, then choose the time that puts that in front of people.

Competition is the part you can read

You can see what is on the market near you at any moment, and so can your buyers. If a run of similar homes is listed on your street or in your building, going out at the same time means splitting the same buyers between you. Waiting until those have sold, or going earlier than them, is a real decision and it is one you can make from public listings.

When the timing is decided for you

Often it is. A settlement on a purchase, a relocation, a separation, an estate, a tenancy ending, or a loan that needs to be repaid all set the date, and the job becomes preparing properly inside the time available rather than choosing a season.

If nothing outside is forcing the date, the preparation is what should set it. A house taken to market before it is ready loses more than a house taken to market in a quieter month.