If your goal is to move before the end of the year, September is the time to act. The property market in autumn is fast-paced, driven by motivated buyers and sellers who want to be settled before the festive season. But with average transactions taking weeks to complete, is it really possible to move before Christmas?
The answer is yes, provided you start now, plan realistically, and work with the right support team. In this guide, we’ll look at typical timelines, the key steps to prepare your home for the market quickly, why autumn is a smart selling season, and how to avoid the most common delays. We’ll also show how Hunters help you move smoothly, even when time is tight.
Related: When Is the Right Time to Sell Your Home?
How Long Does the Average Transaction Take?
One of the most important factors for anyone planning an autumn move is understanding the timeline.
According to the HomeOwners Alliance, the average sale and purchase takes between 10 and 16 weeks from offer acceptance to completion. This covers surveys, searches, mortgage approvals, and conveyancing.
- Mortgage approvals: Typically 2–6 weeks, depending on the lender’s workload and your financial situation.
- Local searches: Can take 2–6 weeks, though some councils take longer depending on demand.
- Surveys: Usually booked within the first 2–3 weeks after an offer is accepted.
- Exchange to completion: Often 1–2 weeks, but this can be negotiated.
If you begin marketing your property in early autumn, there is still time to complete it before Christmas, but it requires focus and proactive management.
Key Stages in the Selling Process
To help plan your timeline, here are the main milestones to expect:
- Marketing and viewings: Your property is listed, photos taken, and viewings arranged.
2. Offer accepted: Once you’ve agreed terms with a buyer, solicitors are instructed.
3. Conveyancing begins: Searches, contract drafts, and enquiries are carried out.
4. Mortgage approval: Buyers finalise their mortgage offer.
5. Survey: The buyer’s lender commissions a survey, and sometimes a private one too.
6. Exchange of contracts: Both parties commit legally, and a completion date is set.
7. Completion: Funds are transferred, and the buyer receives the keys.
By mapping out these stages, you can better understand where delays may occur and how to minimise them.
Quick Ways to Prepare Your Home for Sale
When time is tight, presentation is key. Buyers make quick judgments, both online and in person. Here are the fastest ways to get your home sale-ready this autumn:
Declutter and Stage
Remove personal items and bulky furniture to create a sense of space. Neutral tones and tidy rooms help buyers imagine themselves living there.
Focus on curb Appeal
First impressions matter. Sweep paths, tidy gardens, and add seasonal touches such as autumn wreaths or potted plants. Rightmove highlights how strong exterior photos significantly increase buyer interest.
Quick Fixes
Small repairs like mending leaky taps, touching up paintwork, or replacing tired lightbulbs can make a home feel cared for without heavy investment.
Warm and Welcoming Atmosphere
As evenings draw in, lighting and warmth play a huge role. Lamps, throws, and a cosy temperature make viewings more appealing.
Professional Photography
High-quality imagery helps your home stand out in a crowded online marketplace. Hunters provides professional marketing as part of our service.
Related: Reasons why your home is not selling and how to fix it
Why Autumn Buyers Are Usually Serious
While spring is often seen as the prime season, autumn is when motivation peaks.
- The Christmas Deadline: Many buyers want to be settled before the holidays. Rightmove reported a 15% increase in buyer enquiries in early autumn compared with the same time the previous year.
- Less Window-Shopping: Unlike summer, autumn buyers are often further along in their decision-making process.
- Family Timing: Parents aim to complete before the new school term in January.
- Less Competition: With fewer listings than in spring, your home has a stronger chance of standing out.
This combination of factors makes autumn one of the most reliable times to secure a motivated buyer.
How to Avoid Common Hold-Ups
Even when buyers are keen, delays can push completion into the new year. Here are some of the most common obstacles, and how to overcome them.
Legal Delays
Searches, contract drafting, and enquiries take time. According to the Law Society Gazette, local authority search times are a major cause of delay.
Solution: Instruct your solicitor as soon as you list your property, not after accepting an offer.
Mortgage Bottlenecks
Mortgage offers can take weeks, particularly if lenders request extra documents.
Solution: Buyers should arrange a Mortgage Agreement in Principle early to streamline the process.
Slow Responses
The Conveyancing Association estimates that delays in returning documents can add three weeks to a transaction.
Solution: Respond quickly to all queries from solicitors, agents, and lenders.
Leasehold Properties
For leasehold homes, management company paperwork and service charge statements are often a stumbling block.
Solution: Vendors should request leasehold information packs early in the process.
The Hunters Advantage
At Hunters, we know that time is critical in the autumn property market. Our approach is designed to keep transactions moving and stress levels low.
Proactive Marketing
We prepare your property quickly, with professional photos, floor plans, and listings that attract serious buyers.
Buyer Matching
We maintain a database of motivated buyers and work actively to connect them with suitable properties.
Hands-On Communication
We liaise regularly with solicitors, lenders, and surveyors to make sure no stage of the process stalls unnecessarily.
Local Knowledge, National Reach
With branches across the UK, Hunters combines strong local expertise with national brand power, ensuring your home reaches the widest audience.
A Realistic Autumn Timeline
Here’s how a motivated vendor and buyer can complete before Christmas:
- Weeks 1–2: Property listed, viewings arranged, offers accepted.
- Weeks 2–3: Solicitors instructed, mortgage application submitted, searches ordered.
- Weeks 4–6: Survey conducted, mortgage offer received, enquiries raised.
- Weeks 7–9: Enquiries resolved, contracts reviewed, finances finalised.
- Weeks 10–12: Exchange of contracts and completion.
This is achievable with proactive management, and with Hunters supporting you at every step.
Why It’s Worth the Effort
Moving before Christmas may feel like a race against time, but the rewards are worth it. Imagine unpacking boxes under the glow of fairy lights, hosting family gatherings in your new home, and starting the new year with everything settled.
For sellers, completing before the quieter winter months can mean achieving a stronger price. For buyers, it provides certainty and a fresh start in January.
Request Your Free Market Appraisal
If you’re aiming to move before Christmas, the time to act is now. With clear timelines, practical preparation, and a proactive agent by your side, your festive move is within reach.
At Hunters, we combine local expertise, national reach, and hands-on support to guide you smoothly through the process.
Request your free market appraisal today, and let’s get you moving in time for Christmas.
