Move now or after stamp duty holiday? How long did you live in first (mortgaged) home?

FTB2020LDN

Hello! 

We moved out of London (where we rented) to a town in Essex. We wanted to move to the countryside but didn’t want to miss being near things (shops, restaurants etc) so moved to a town rather than a village. Long story short, we think the town is too busy for us and would like to move to a village in the countryside (which is also closer to a train station so easier access to London - I still work there). We have lived in our home for 7 months now and want to put it on the market.  We have done improvements on it and will be able to sell it for a profit / we can afford to move. 

Just wondering if people would be put off buying somewhere that we’ve moved out of so quickly / do people look at that? 

Also, wondering whether it would be best getting it up for sale now and taking the plunge or better to wait until the stamp duty holiday is over and done with and see what happens with the market? 

Thank you! 

Getting_greyer

I think it can look dodgy, bearing in mind a potential buyer won't know your story and will only see it's up for sale a few months after.  I must admit when I was looking, if I saw a place had changed hands 4 times in 6 years I was instantly put off.  That's said, that was just me and I'm by no means representative of everyone else. Also, I do sometimes see ads with "job commitments means this beaty is back on the market!" type phrases. 

I couldn't judge on best time to sell tbh. I just don't know what to think anymore. I guess buyers will now assume that SD will be payable as I doubt you'd sell by the SD holiday.  We may have a clearer come the Budget on 3 March.

Mickey666

I'd be surprised if moving on quickly would give any selling problems, especially in the home counties where demand is high.

Hannimal

Most people won't even look up when they book to view, only if they make an offer or later. By this time the agent may have mentioned this. I viewed a property where the owner had lived for less than a year because they were offered a job elsewhere. I didn't think anything of it. 

[Deleted User]

For some people it might put them off. Other people wouldn't even think twice. 

With regards to when to sell, it depends what the market is like in your area. I too want to get our house on the market but here it is just stagnant. My concerns are not so much selling our place, but more "what the hell are we going to buy!" as theres just nothing coming up for sale. 

moneysavinghero

Your house is not even on the market yet. You hope you can sell it for a profit, but until you get someone willing to pay your asking price nothing is guaranteed (and even then, nothing is guaranteed until the fat solicitor sings that contracts have exchanged).

RelievedSheff

I don't see any point in waiting to put the house on the market if you have made your mind up that you want to move.

NinjaTune

Have you seen anywhere online that appeals to you yet?  I'd imagine that moving to a village would mean less properties (proportionally) that will suit your criteria. 

Anyone with the Rightmove price history extension will be able to see the last sold price and it may raise an eyebrow or two.  My first thought would be wondering if you had nightmare neighbours to be honest.  I doubt it would put me off making initial enquiries about the property but I'd definitely be asking the reasons for your swift move in and out.

moneysavinghero

I saw a property that was for sale about a year ago that looked like it had potential. It sold. Has recently come back onto the market after about 7-8 months. The new owners have done 'improvements' that to me make the property a total no interest now. And they want an extra £40,000 for those improvements. Even if they had left it untouched i would be concerned about why they want to move so quickly (especially so now they have spent money getting the property how they want it and still don't want it). 

WelshBristolian

Personally, I think anyone that is genuinely interested in the property wouldn't be put off from booking a viewing, it'd just be something that they'd probably ask about earlier on. If anything, it might weed out some of the time wasters.

FTB2020LDN

Deleted_User said:

For some people it might put them off. Other people wouldn't even think twice. 

With regards to when to sell, it depends what the market is like in your area. I too want to get our house on the market but here it is just stagnant. My concerns are not so much selling our place, but more "what the hell are we going to buy!" as theres just nothing coming up for sale. 

Exactly the same for us! Our current area is in quite high demand so I don’t think we’d struggle to sell but there isn’t as much coming on the market in the areas we are looking!