If you’re an estate agent, you’ll know all about the ‘Boxing Day Boom’ – AKA the busiest time for property portals. It’s likely been the talk of the office – and with good reason:
Last Boxing Day, Zoopla reported a 42% increase in property listings than in 2021. Compared to any other bank holiday, that’s almost five times as many listed properties!
Not only do we see surges in property portal activity between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, but buyers tend to be more serious about purchasing. Often, house hunters browse Rightmove and Zoopla over Christmas because they want a fresh start in the New Year – in other words, they’re browsing with the intent of moving, they’re not just window shopping!
So, to help you capitalise on this year’s Boxing Day Boom, we’ve compiled a quick guide to making the most of this lucrative season.
There’s lots to cover, so let’s dive straight in!
1. Fail to prepare or prepare to fail
Please excuse the cheesy cliche, but it’s true.
We asked Samantha Odo, Real Estate Sales Representative & Montreal Division Manager, at Precondo her thoughts about prepping for the Boxing Day Boom, and this is what she had to say:
‘It’s a time when many people are off work and have the time to house hunt, so there’s often a surge in property interest and sales. Make sure your listings are up-to-date, appealing, and accurately priced according to the current market conditions. Highlight any special features or incentives that might attract buyers.’
Building on Samantha’s advice, taking your property photos as soon as possible is wise. The quicker you get them done, the less chance your clients will have their Christmas decorations up.
…But, if you’re too late for that, don’t worry; it’s not the end of the world (we’ll discuss a handy workaround for this in a second!)
Of course, it’s not just property photos that need organising. You also need to prepare the rest of your listing. I.e., obtaining EPCs, writing compelling property descriptions, and creating professional-looking floor plans. Having all this to hand makes listing your properties much more manageable – especially as crunch time approaches!
2. Communication is key
As we’ve already said, December is busy for everyone. Often, agents and sellers alike are at capacity during the run-up to Christmas, which means effective communication is all the more critical.
So, here are a few tips for facilitating productive communication between you and your clients in the lead-up to Boxing Day.
- Ask in advance which days the client is free for viewings between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
- Ask which method of communication best suits your client. For example, would they prefer to receive updates via text, WhatsApp, email, or a phone call? This goes a long way to securing quicker responses.
- Communicate proactively to ensure everyone remains on the same page, avoiding confusion.
3. Get rid of pesky Christmas decorations (no, clients don’t have to take their trees down!)
Suppose your client already has a gigantic Christmas tree brimming with baubles in their front room. In that case, they’re unlikely to take it down for you to shoot property photos.
In this scenario, you have two choices:
- Take the property photos and publish them as they are
- Spend hours editing out festive decor
- Use old property photos that no longer represent the property
…Happily, there’s another solution.
Cue, PropertyBox.
PropertyBox users benefit from real-time, straightforward object removal.
For smaller objects (perfect for little figurines, stockings, snow globes, etc.), you can upload property photos and use PropertyBox’s intuitive editor to highlight the object(s) you wish to erase.
Then, select ‘Finish’ and watch it disappear in seconds!
But what if you need to erase something larger from your image? Like a colossal-sized Christmas tree or one of those giant inflatable Santas?
In this case, instruct PropertyBox on the object(s) you want to remove from your photo, and we’ll do it for you within 24 hours!
Easy, right?
Are you ready to capitalise on the Boxing Day Boom?
Having read the above advice, we hope you’re better positioned to prepare your agency for the Boxing Day Boom.
But, suppose you still need a hand with listing all your stock in time? In that case, PropertyBox can help. We provide everything you need to enhance property photos, look up EPCs, and auto-generate compelling property descriptions within seconds. Plus, you can even commission professional-looking floor plans to boot!
If that sounds good, you’re in luck – we’re giving away the following:
- 1 month’s free PropertyBox access with the promo code: FREEMONTHDEC
- FREE large object removal from your property photos when you subscribe to a PropertyBox plan¹
Interested? Have questions? Contact us today at team@propertybox.io or request a call back in 55 seconds or less!
¹ Please note: Large object removal is free for up to 5 uses per month for new and existing customers between Monday, 4th – Sunday, 31st December.
