Hello and welcome to the September edition of the Charnwood Homeowners Report!

Somehow we're already heading into autumn. The kids are going back to school, the nights are starting to draw in and I'm refusing to accept that it's nearly time to put the heating back on.

From a property point of view, though, September is actually one of my favourite times of the year.

Over the summer, everything gets a little bit... distracted. Holidays are booked, children are off school, weekends disappear and moving house sometimes gets pushed down the list.

September tends to change that.

People come back from their holidays, routines return and suddenly those conversations about moving house start happening again.

"Do we actually need another bedroom?"

"Should we move closer to the school?"

"Could we finally find somewhere with a bigger garden?"

And then Rightmove gets opened...

Have I left it too late to move this year?

I get asked this quite a lot around this time of year.

The answer is no.

September and October can actually be really productive months for the property market because there's a natural deadline starting to appear in buyers' minds:

Christmas.

Nobody particularly wants to spend Christmas surrounded by removal boxes, so buyers who start looking around this time of year often have a genuine reason to get moving.

That doesn't mean every sale agreed in September will complete before Christmas—property chains have a habit of doing whatever they fancy—but there's certainly still plenty of time to get your move underway.

If you've been sitting on the fence all summer, September can be a very good time to finally do something about it.

What buyers are actually looking for

I've had lots of conversations with buyers recently, and something I've noticed is that the "perfect house" isn't always what people are searching for anymore.

Buyers are becoming more practical.

A decent-sized garden.

Good parking.

A home office.

Storage.

A sensible layout.

Good schools nearby.

And increasingly, somewhere they can stay for a good few years without needing to move again.

Of course, a beautiful kitchen and bifold doors are lovely.

But you'd be surprised how often I'm conducting a viewing and the thing someone gets most excited about is a utility room.

Apparently adulthood is just gradually becoming excited by increasingly boring things.

Give me a separate utility room and a downstairs toilet and we're practically at dream-home territory.

Over a Coffee with Sam

Here's something I've noticed recently.

The second viewing has become really important.

Buyers aren't necessarily rushing into offers after spending 20 minutes walking around a house anymore.

They'll go home.

Talk about it.

Look at the floorplan another 14 times.

Show it to their parents.

Drive past again.

And then ask to come back.

If someone wants a second viewing, I pay attention.

That's often when they stop looking at the property as a house for sale and start imagining it as their home.

They're deciding where the sofa would go, which bedroom the children would have and whether the dining table fits.

That's when things start getting interesting.

Property Myth of the Month

"I'll wait until spring. Nobody buys houses in autumn."

I hear this one every year.

Spring is undoubtedly a popular time to sell, but that doesn't automatically make it the best time for every property.

There's usually more stock coming onto the market in spring too.

More homes for sale means more competition.

September can give sellers a really useful window. Gardens still look good, there's plenty of daylight for photography and serious buyers are returning from their summer holidays.

More importantly, if your ideal next home comes onto the market in September, waiting until March isn't going to be much help.

Sometimes the best time to move isn't dictated by the season.

It's simply when the right house comes along.

Village Spotlight – Mountsorrel

This month we're heading to Mountsorrel.

It's a village that sometimes gets overlooked when people first start searching around Charnwood, but there's a lot to like about it.

You've got great access to both Leicester and Loughborough, lovely walks around the village and towards the River Soar, plenty of local amenities and, of course, the Buttermarket sitting right at the heart of the village.

There's also a really interesting mix of property.

You'll find older cottages and character homes around the historic parts of Mountsorrel alongside established family estates and much newer developments.

That means the village attracts everyone from first-time buyers through to growing families and people looking to downsize.

And if you've never walked up to the top of Castle Hill...

Do it.

Preferably on a day when it's not raining sideways.

Ask Sam

"Should I find somewhere to buy before putting my house on the market?"

This can become a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.

You don't want to sell because you haven't found anywhere.

But then you find your dream house... and the seller won't accept your offer because yours isn't sold.

Frustrating.

My advice is normally to get yourself into the strongest possible position first.

That doesn't necessarily mean you need to rush your house onto the market tomorrow, but knowing what it's worth, getting your finances organised and having a plan means you're ready when the right property appears.

Because when a really good house comes onto the market, you probably won't be the only person who wants it.

A buyer who's already sold will nearly always be in a stronger position than someone who hasn't even started.

One little job worth doing this month

September is actually a great time to look at the front of your house.

Sounds boring, I know.

But as the gardens start changing and the evenings get darker, kerb appeal becomes even more important.

Cut the hedge.

Clear the gutters.

Jet wash the drive.

Clean the windows.

Paint the front door if it's looking tired.

And please...

Hide the bins for the photographs.

You don't need to spend thousands preparing a house for sale. Sometimes £100 and a Saturday afternoon can make a bigger difference than people realise.

Final Thoughts

September always feels like a bit of a reset.

Summer's finished, everyone's back into their routines and thoughts naturally start turning towards what they want to achieve before the end of the year.

For some people, that means finally making the move they've been talking about for the past six months.

For others, it might simply mean finding out what their home is worth and making a plan for next year.

Either is absolutely fine.

If you're thinking about moving anywhere across Charnwood and you'd like to have a chat about it, I'm always happy to pop round.

I'll bring the property advice.

You provide the coffee.

Seems fair to me.

See you next month!

Sam Cable
Branch Manager
Taylors Estate Agency, Rothley