The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, and for the next five months many homes will be viewed in fading afternoon light, in the rain, or after dark. Most people see that as a disadvantage. It is also an opportunity, because the dark months show a home as it really is.

Seasons shape people’s moves more than they often realise. A house viewed on a bright June evening, with the garden in full leaf and the windows open, is one of the most flattering sights in property. The same house in December, at four o’clock, with the trees bare, can tell you a great deal more.

What summer hides

Leaves are the most effective screening there is, and they are only there for half the year. In spring and summer they can hide:

  • roads, railways and traffic that are suddenly visible, and louder, once the trees are bare
  • neighbouring buildings and extensions that overlook the garden or the main rooms
  • pylons, masts, commercial buildings and car parks beyond the boundary
  • the true outlook from the back bedrooms, which may be green in July and very different in January

Take a £600,000 detached house whose garden backs onto a belt of trees. In summer it feels secluded. In December you may find a railway line, or the rear of a retail park, eighty metres away. Neither need be a reason not to buy, but both are facts you want before you offer, not after you move in.

What winter shows you

Short, wet days are the honest test for a home:

  • Light. On a grey afternoon you see which rooms are genuinely bright and which rely on summer sun.
  • Warmth. Whether the house feels warm, how quickly the heating responds, and whether some rooms are always cold.
  • Damp and condensation. Misted windows, black mould around frames, or a musty smell in a cupboard are easier to spot when the weather is cold and wet.
  • Drainage. How the garden, the drive and the paths cope after rain, and whether water gathers anywhere it should not.
  • The street after dark. Lighting, parking, noise and how the area feels in the evening.
  • The trees themselves. Deciduous trees that look wonderful in summer drop their leaves in autumn, which means raking, clearing and more garden upkeep every year. Trees close to the house can also block gutters and downpipes, and overflowing gutters are a common cause of damp. Autumn is when you see how much work they really make.

If you first viewed in summer and are still buying into the winter, a second viewing in different conditions is worth asking for. Anything you find is far easier to discuss before a price is agreed. Once the survey is in, raising it becomes a renegotiation, which is a much harder conversation.

Seen a home in summer and buying in winter, or found something on a second viewing? Talk it through with Jon before you commit.

Tell Jon about your situation

If you are selling in the dark months

The same honesty works on your home too, and some sellers worry about launching in autumn or winter. A few points are worth weighing:

  • Fewer buyers, but often more serious ones. People looking in November or January usually have a reason to move. There are often fewer homes for sale as well, so a well-presented home can stand out.
  • Presentation needs more thought. Short, grey days make photographs and viewings harder. Light, warmth and tidy outside spaces carry more weight than they do in June.
  • Photographs should be fair. A listing that relies on summer photographs to hide something a buyer would want to know creates trouble later. Under consumer protection rules, a listing should give buyers a fair picture of the home.
  • Timing the launch matters. The weeks before Christmas tend to be quiet, and many buyers start looking again in the new year. When to go to market, and at what price, depends on your plans, your local market and how long you can wait.

A home launched into the right weeks at the right price can do well in any season. The choice of agent and the price agreed before launch matter more than the month, as we explain in choosing an estate agent.

Thinking of selling this winter, or wondering whether to wait for spring? Jon can help you weigh up the timing and the price before you choose an agent.

Tell Jon about your situation

Jon’s view

Seasons shape some people’s moves, whether they notice or not. View a home in late autumn or winter and you see it at its worst, which is exactly why it is worth seeing then. Spring and summer leaves hide many a visual blight. If you are buying, let the dark months work for you. If you are selling, make sure your home can stand up to a December viewing, because the right buyer will be looking at it honestly.