September always has that lovely feeling of getting back to business.

The summer holidays are over, the children are back at school, diaries are returning to normal and, for many of us, there’s suddenly a renewed urge to get organised.

And that can make September a particularly interesting time in the property market.

If moving home has been sitting somewhere on your to-do list for the past few months, now could be the perfect time to finally do something about it.

Buyers are back

Summer can be a funny time for the property market. There are still plenty of buyers looking, of course, but holidays, childcare and generally making the most of the sunshine can mean property hunting gets temporarily pushed down the priority list.

September tends to bring people back into their usual routines — and back onto the property portals.

Those buyers who spent the summer saying “we’ll properly start looking when we get back” are suddenly ready to go.

There’s still plenty of time before Christmas

Yes, we’re mentioning the C word again.

We asked a few weeks ago whether it was too early to talk about Christmas and, while we’re still not ready for tinsel in the office, sellers thinking about moving before the end of the year really do need to start making plans.

A September launch gives you time to prepare your home properly, arrange great photography and marketing, generate interest and find the right buyer without feeling as though everything needs to happen overnight.

There are never guarantees around completion dates — conveyancing has its own ideas about that! — but getting started now certainly puts you in a stronger position.

Your home might look rather lovely too…

There is something particularly appealing about homes at this time of year.

Gardens are often still looking green, there’s plenty of natural daylight for photography and we haven’t quite reached the darker days of late autumn.

Add a little seasonal warmth inside and September properties can look incredibly inviting.

Serious sellers meet serious buyers

One of the things we often see as we move into autumn is a change in buyer mindset.

The casual summer browser can become the motivated autumn buyer.

People start thinking about where they want to be for Christmas, what they’d like to change before another year begins and whether it’s finally time for that extra bedroom, bigger garden, village location or shorter commute.

And motivated buyers are exactly who sellers want walking through their front door.

Should you put your home on the market this September?

There isn’t one perfect month to sell every property.

The right time depends on your home, your circumstances and what you want to achieve next.

But if you’ve been thinking about moving, September is certainly a good time to have the conversation.

And importantly, having your home valued doesn’t mean you have to put it on the market tomorrow.

Sometimes the most useful first step is simply understanding what your home could be worth, what the local market looks like and what we’d recommend doing before launching.

Thinking of selling this autumn? Talk to your local James Du Pavey team. We’d be delighted to pop round, have a look and help you work out your next move.