Combine festivities with everyday living in your next home

Every year Rightmove observes a huge spike in activity after Christmas. For example, last year saw a 69% increase in visits from 4th December to 9th January. On top of that, there was a significant increase in valuation requests and properties appearing for sale in the post-Christmas period.

This rush to view the market after Christmas isn’t just about opening every last present, it’s about finding the right home for you into the New Year. An opportunity for a fresh start in a new home that balances everyday living with those special occasions.

There’re numerous factors to consider when searching for new home before making your final choice – The right size, the ideal location, the optimum layout, and so on are all in your mind up until you find the right home you’re happy to move into.

Christmas time gives people a chance to slow down a little, spending time with loved ones, enjoying food and drinks, sharing gifts, and creating happy memories. It’s at this time that a lot of people who are usually too busy to think about moving are able to reflect on what they really want from their ideal home.

For example, Christmas dinner – Preparing and cooking a festive feast highlights just how well, or sometimes how poorly, your kitchen has been designed when usually you wouldn’t notice. From appliances being in inconvenient places to limited countertop space, a well-designed kitchen can make cooking easier all times of the year. In fact, 43% of people with a new kitchen found that they cooked more meals at home.

The average cost of cooking a Christmas dinner for 5 people is roughly £30 cheaper than eating out, and you’ll end up with plenty of leftovers in the fridge. If the idea of a better, more convenient, kitchen excites you, maybe it’s time to consider if you could have better.

Sometimes it’s not the cooking that’s an issue, it’s having the room for all your guests around the table. Having a bigger dining room or having an open plan could make all the difference, making your space or versatile for what you use it for. Plenty of people would agree as searched for “open plan houses” have increased by 168% from 2019 to 2021.

Open plan living is great for creating social spaces as people can remain involved in the cooking, eating and the long rest after all in the same space.

When accommodating guests there’s still more to consider, such as having spare bedrooms so that your loved ones can rest comfortably. Alternatively, a home office provides dual purposes as workspace that can also double as sleeping quarters for a guest.

There’s been increased interest in home offices, with a 326% jump in use of terms ‘office’, ‘workspace’ and ‘working from home’ in property listings following the pandemic.

Adequate and convenient bathrooms are also needed for proper hosting, so an additional bathroom or a convenient W/C can end up being crucial at Christmas or when hosting parties.

The festive season is a time to get the whole family together, and a home should be capable of meeting the ever-growing needs of young children. That could mean having enough bedrooms once young siblings are too old to share, or proper storage as gifts from Santa start to stack-up.

Outdoor space is just as important as a sizeable back garden gives the kids enough space to tire themselves out in time for bed, and having a decent sized driveway makes having visitors and loved ones around just that bit easier.

The period after Christmas leading up to New Years is often a time of reflection, perhaps your home is suiting you currently, but you realise it’s not quite future-proof enough – Or it could just be the right time to change things up with a fresh start for the New Year.

Moving home is a big decision and not one that’s made on a whim. At a time of year like this where things slow down and you have a chance to consider what really matters, it might be that you realise you want a home that brings a little more excitement to every day of the year.

If your looking to move home, get in touch with a member of our lettings' team by calling 01656657033 or email info@smart-lettings.co.uk