When are the busier times of year for the housing market?

[UnilateralDecisions]

I’m trying to buy a house, and wondered if more houses might begin to come onto the market in the next month or two?

I’ve seen 7 or 8 houses so far, and quite liked 1 of them, but the sellers are holding out for more £.

Spring is usually a bit busier but the market is strange - I think it’s a period of slow but long stable or decline so few properties and often slightly overvalued is currently the norm

Thanks @itsthetea, that’s my feeling as well 😕.

I know sellers can accept or refuse offers as they choose, but it’s still frustrating to see over-priced houses just sitting there empty for months.

twenty years ago there used to be set windows. I used to work on a property newspaper. The year would begin with a bit of a flourish from the third week in January and then rise week on week until Easter. Easter was a bit of a watershed. There would be a load of fresh on the market just before Easter as if Easter had been their goal. Then after the actual Easter break, the maximum would hit the market. Then after market would continue upward until June then slow as summer holidays approached.

Usually dead in winter.

people tend into put houses on in Easter/spring and then it’s high season until September or so.

however the current market is very slow generally.

I think it will improve throughout the year. Sellers are still reluctant to accept the market has slumped a bit. That won't last much longer though. Usually it only takes one or two to have to sell at a lower prices and the pricing in that area for those properties will be re-set. You will always get good numbers of kite flying priced property advertised though. People who either dont have to move or can't move without "x" price.
I would just wait if you can

I've been a residential property solicitor for 20 years. As PP say, there used to be clear windows of busyness. Now I'd say the only dead time for marketing is mid-December to early January.

It used to be spring and early summer but the market is so sluggish now. So many houses around here are still on the market after years. We moved last year and houses we looked at have not sold, come back on. I'm still not sure quite how we managed it but it did take us 4 years for the right house, buyer, interest rates etc to align. Had a few failed attempts. I think the huge costs involved means people are far more cautious than before. Also, more expensive properties are sitting on the market longest because people moving up the ladder can't really afford them. There's a disconnect between the inflated value of large detached houses around here which have been owned by the same people for decades and where prices have risen by 500% or more and people who may have young families and had a real struggle to get on the ladder and now slow wage growth means they cannot keep moving up.

People generally like to move house in the summer or early autumn so like to get the sale agreed around Easter. There should be a fair few coming onto the market in the next few weeks. However properties that aren't owner-occupied can come on any time.

Thanks all 🙂, I think I just need to relax for a while and see what might turn up.

If the house you liked languishes on the market for long enough, the sellers may realise that your offer is reasonable. I think people who thought about moving at the start of the year, will have done the decluttering, finding agents and so on and some houses will appear. Whether they are realistically priced is another matter.