"Securing a buyer is proving far more challenging than we’ve seen in recent years and, as our latest market insight suggests, it could become even more of a challenge as the clocks roll back and British summertime ends"
- Verona Frankish - Yopa
As the clocks go back this weekend, new insight from Yopa suggests that shorter days could make an already difficult housing market even tougher for sellers. The agency’s latest research indicates that reduced daylight and darker evenings are likely to discourage buyers from attending property viewings.
The survey of UK homebuyers, commissioned by Yopa, found that only 27% prefer to view homes in the evening, while 25% opt for the morning and nearly half (48%) favour the afternoon.
The leading reason, cited by 69% of respondents, was a preference for viewing homes in natural daylight. Many also pointed to work and childcare commitments as barriers to viewing flexibility.
With daylight hours shrinking, 63% of homebuyers said the end of British summertime will make them less motivated to attend viewings. A further 43% stated that shorter days make it much harder to properly assess a property, while 40% said it is harder but still manageable.
Exterior areas and neighbourhood surroundings were found to be the most difficult aspects to evaluate in low light. In addition, 34% of buyers admitted feeling unsafe viewing unfamiliar areas after dark.
The change in daylight appears to be influencing buyer behaviour more broadly. One in five buyers said they plan to significantly reduce the number of viewings they attend during winter, with another one in five intending to cut back to a lesser extent.
Almost half (46%) said they would prefer to book viewings during daylight hours at the weekend, suggesting that sellers hoping to complete a sale before Christmas may need to adjust their availability.
“It’s already a difficult landscape for the nation’s home sellers, with the market currently imbalanced between the level of stock available and the number of buyers willing to commit to a purchase,” said Verona Frankish, CEO of Yopa. “As a result, securing a buyer is proving far more challenging than we’ve seen in recent years and, as our latest market insight suggests, it could become even more of a challenge as the clocks roll back and British summertime ends.”
“This is simply down to the fact that, when making what’s likely to be the most expensive purchase of their lives, buyers are keen to see every aspect of a property in detail,” explained Frankish. “The lack of natural light obviously limits how effectively they can do this when it comes to the external areas of the property and the surrounding neighbourhood.”
Frankish added that flexibility is key for those hoping to sell soon. “So for those hoping to snag a buyer by Christmas, the key is to make yourself as available as you can when it comes to viewings,” she said. “This means facilitating viewings during the shorter daylight hours throughout the week, and especially over the weekends.”
