The summer holidays are upon us which means that road traffic in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas is going to be a whole lot lighter for the next six weeks. But with the roads clearing, will the housing market experience a similar decrease in online traffic? Our founder and property expert, Deborah Richards, shares her expertise.

Traditional ways for house searching are replaced by technology

How we shop for properties has changed with the advent of search portals such as, Rightmove, Zoopla and On The Market.  It used to be that we would visit our local estate agents and leave with a clutch of property brochures; understandably, most parents preferred to make such visits without the children fighting about their knees, which resulted in the traditional seasonal selling markets of the spring and autumn.

Nowadays, technology has allowed us to browse for our next home at any time we choose: when the kids are in bed, when grabbing a quick coffee or even when standing in a queue to pay for groceries. Accordingly, the traditionally quieter school holiday periods are no longer.

Tunbridge Wells property market powering through school holidays

In the first week of the Easter holidays, Maddisons completed a record number of viewings and negotiated 8 offers, a sign that families were still very much engaged and wanting to transact.

Furthermore, for the past two years of the pandemic, the summer holidays – historically the quietest period of all (other than Christmas week) – has not paused for breath! This was due to the huge re-evaluation of how we use our homes and the stamp duty holiday. We are intrigued to see what will happen this summer…

Property selling or buying during the school holidays: is it for you?

Of course, selling or buying a property out of term-time doesn’t come without its challenges. One reason some sellers don’t complete their property search during the school holidays is due to the unsettling effect that house hunting can have on children. Some families would rather not cause upset and uncertainty for their children, especially at key educational stages, for example during exam times.

And as for the task of keeping your home tidy for viewings when your children are running around the house all day; some sellers would rather avoid adding that additional stress to their list.

With the advancement of technology letting us search for properties when and where we choose, buying or selling a property during the school holidays is seemingly high up on many people’s agenda. We are available throughout the year so, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our friendly team based in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells as we would love to help.