Home sellers wanting to secure a sale in the traditionally strong New Year period must get their property on the market before Christmas, according to the UK’s largest group of hand picked independent estate agents, Home Sale Network.

Representatives from Home Sale Network’s 750 member firms agreed that too many sellers miss out on a strong New Year sales period by not having their homes ready for the market when estate agents become very busy just after Christmas.

Buyers, motivated by job moves and other immediate house moving needs, enter the post Christmas market far earlier than most sellers, members have observed.

Home Sale Network’s Managing Director, Richard Tucker, said: “While most sellers are aware of the traditional sales peak in the Spring, many do not realise that a number of determined buyers become very active in the first weeks of the New Year."

"This can mean that those buyers who often have an urgent need to move home, have relatively few properties to choose from”, he added.

Member firms throughout the country have also recommended top tips for sellers wanting to secure a sale during the winter months – especially in the current cooler market.

Their top two recommendations for preparing the home for potential buyers’ visits are to have cosy lighting throughout the house (31%) and to set the heating at a comfortable 20°C (28%). By doing so, sellers will create an inviting scene, making their home more appealing.

For buyers who are driving past or viewing the house from the outside, creating the same cosy feeling outside the property is also important. Therefore, another tip from Home Sale Network members is to install attractive outside lighting.

Further recommendations include:

• Clear away the winter clutter of coats and boots
• Display flowering pot plants in the front of the house for 'kerb appeal'
• Light a real fire
• Provide the estate agent with a 'service record' of utility bills and maintenance receipts
• Give your estate agent the space on viewings to show your property at its best.