Should I sell now or wait until spring? 8.5m sales checked

Research by ValuQ: we took every standard residential sale recorded by HM Land Registry in England and Wales from 2014 to 2025, removed 2020 and 2021, and measured how far each month's typical price sat above or below the trend, separately for detached, semi-detached, terraced homes and flats.

Every autumn the same question comes up: list now, or wait for spring? Most advice answers it with opinion. We wanted the answer in sold prices, because a sold price is what lands in your bank account.

Do homes really sell for more in spring?

Yes, on average, once you account for when a spring sale actually completes. Sold prices follow a clear yearly rhythm. Homes completing in August sold above the trend in every year we checked, and homes completing in April and May sold below it in every year we checked.

A completion is the day the money moves and the keys are handed over. It usually comes months after the sale is agreed. So a summer completion is, in most cases, a sale that was agreed in spring.

Source: ValuQ analysis of HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (file downloaded 28 August 2026). Trend is a centred 12-month moving average of each property type's median price. The 'most likely agreed' column assumes roughly four months between agreeing a sale and completing it.

Is this just bigger houses selling in summer?

No. Detached homes do make up a slightly larger share of summer sales, so we measured each property type on its own. The same pattern shows up in all four.

Terraced homes show the widest swing, which fits the buyers who buy them: first-time buyers and young families who often time a move around the school year.

How long after agreeing a sale does it complete?

Usually several months. In Propertymark's August 2026 survey of its member agents, almost 32% said most of their agreed sales took more than 17 weeks to reach exchange of contracts. Rightmove's ten-year listing study found homes listed in January found a buyer in an average of 47 days, and in February 48 days.

Put those together and the calendar looks like this. A home listed in January or February typically agrees a sale by March or April and completes in the summer, the strongest months in our data. A home listed in October typically agrees a sale around December and completes in spring, the weakest.

How much could waiting be worth on my home?

Averaged across July to September and across March to May, the gap is about 3.7 points. On Zoopla's August 2026 average UK price of £273,000, that is roughly £10,000. The figures below apply the same averages to other prices.

The season moves the price by a few per cent. The asking price you choose can move it by far more.

So should I wait until spring?

Only if waiting costs you nothing else. The seasonal pattern is an average of ten years, not a promise for 2026. Three things can outweigh it.

• The trend itself. Zoopla puts annual growth at 0.8% to August 2026 and expects only about 0.5% by the end of the year. If prices drift down over winter, a spring sale can still land lower than an autumn one.
• Competition. Rightmove says March brings the largest number of new listings of any month, so a spring seller faces the most rivals.
• Your own plans. A job move, a school place, a separation or a home you have already found to buy will matter more than a seasonal average.

What does this look like in Basildon?

Weaker and noisier, because one district has far fewer sales. Across 27,053 Basildon sales in the same years, February completions sat 2.6% below trend and August completions 1.8% above it, but the months in between move around more than the national pattern. Local timing matters less than local pricing, which you can check on our Basildon property market page.

What should I do this autumn if I am weighing it up?

1. 1. Get your number first

   Ask several local agents to value your home now, so the decision is based on a real figure rather than a guess.

2. 2. Ask each agent the timing question

   Ask what they expect the home to sell for if listed this month, and what they would expect in February, and why.

3. 3. Work out your costs of waiting

   Add up extra mortgage payments, rent or bills for the months you would wait, and set them against the seasonal gap for your price.

4. 4. Decide on your plans, not the calendar

   If you need to move by a date, list when it suits that date. If you are free, a January or February listing has history on its side.

ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents. You can get the figures now, keep your details private, and still choose to list in spring.

What else do sellers ask about timing?