According to their findings, the best time to sell a home is 1.51pm on a Wednesday. Further to this, the month of March is also the most common when it comes to selling up.
However, even after finding the best time to make the sale, the process can still be a stressful one with the number one cause for concern the dreaded chain; waiting for other people to buy or sell (27%).
The research found that other selling stresses include viewing countless places (18%), dealing with solicitors (15%), battling with estate agents (10%) as well as lengthy contract negotiations (10%). Although many of us are still relying on estate agents to show buyers around our home (31%), more are taking on the job themselves, with over a quarter of sellers (28%) choosing to show prospective buyers around, and a quarter of millennials (25%) giving the job to their parents to do.
Brits have also been getting cunning with tricks to help sell their homes, with a good tidy up the number one tactic employed by four in ten of us. Men, however, are less inclined to clean up with just three in ten doing so, compared to 44% of women.
Other selling ploys include buying fresh flowers to brighten up a space, making sure pets are kept outside and ensuring that noisy children are also kept away).
A sneaky one in ten of us will cheat a cosy atmosphere by purposefully raising the temperature in their house to make it cosy, whilst two million of us will even turn to baking bread to help induce a sweet aroma to entice prospective buyers.
We are also taking on home improvements to encourage a sale, with a quarter of us re-decorating in order to improve our property’s sale potential.
Other changes made to our homes include putting up new curtains (8%), hanging art on the walls (8%), replacing the front door (8%) and even buying new furniture (7%).
Over 1.4 million of us have also bought, or rented, a new television to prompt someone to buy our place. These home improvements are costing us an average of almost £400 to make our property fit for sale.
Men, however, seem to have deeper pockets when it comes to renovations and are spending £457, 150% more than the £290 women will spend to make their property look the part. Millennials spend the most; a whopping £617 is going on property upgrades to beat the competition.
Christian Mendes, Head of Privilege Home Insurance, said: “Selling a home can be a very stressful ordeal, so it’s great to see we have found the time when people are most likely to sell their home.
However, it’s important not to under-estimate the impact of small home improvements such as a lick of paint, or a new piece of art on the walls, which can make all the difference when it comes to the finer details. On the day people are due over to view, the fine aroma of freshly baked bread, or just-brewed coffee can be the ultimate clinchers to help seal the deal too - so it’s definitely worth going the extra mile.”
