Back to school, back to selling
Blink and you’ll miss it, but those mid-August weeks, beneath shooting star emblazoned skies, have a peculiar energy. One minute you’re buying the latest garden furniture and pizza oven accessories, the next, you’re stocking up on back-to-school essentials.
Love it or loathe it, September has officially begun and life will soon snap back into routine. For the housing market, that shift is just as real. Which means, it’s the perfect time to get your move back on track.
Whether your home’s been on the market all summer without the interest you’d hoped for, or you’ve simply spent the holidays wondering whether it’s time to move, now is the moment to take stock.
The “Quiet Summer” Myth
There’s an unspoken assumption that selling homes in August ‘isn’t the done thing’. After all, everyone’s away, the children are underfoot, buyers are distracted. But the truth is, the summer “slowdown” isn’t what many people think.
A Rightmove report in summer 2025 showed that while asking prices had dipped, buyer activity was actually up. Buyer enquiries were up year on year, and, best of all, more sales were being agreed.
So, if you thought the market had gone quiet you were ‘mythtaken’ (sorry). In truth, it has just shifted. The reality is, modern buyers take summer at a more leisurely pace, looking for the homes that really stand out.
The good news? Buyers are still out there in summer, and they want to move.
The bad news? If your home is sliding down the listings, not getting much interest, it’s not the season holding you back: it’s how your home is being presented.
The best news? As August drifts into September, there’s never been a better time for a marketing makeover.
Time for a Mid-Year Mindset Reset
Just as children head back to school with new pencil cases, clean exercise books and shiny shoes, refreshing your home’s marketing and presentation can also set your sale off on the right foot for the autumn. The perfectly pressed uniform; the neatly groomed hair; that smiling, perfectly posed first-day back photo shared with family: it’s not that dissimilar to the way in which we present our homes.
Selling a home is, in fact, selling the promise and vision of all the potential that home has to offer.
Ask yourself:
Do my photos truly sell the lifestyle of this home, or just the rooms?
Does the description make people feel something, or just list features?
Has my agent offered a presenter-led, high-quality and immersive video tour of my home?
If you’re answering “no”, “not really” or “what’s that?” to any of those questions, now is the time for a rethink.
Why Acting Now Matters
The buyers returning to the market in September are likely to move fast. They know they need to have offers agreed in the forthcoming weeks to stand a chance of moving before the festive season.
That means your home needs to be front and centre, looking its absolute best, when that wave hits.
Your Back-to-School (or back to the top of the listings) Action Plan
Get your home ready for the September surge with these 5 simple steps:
Check your listing’s “report card” – look at photos, description and video quality.
Refresh your presentation – re-style rooms, tidy gardens and re-shoot in good light, appropriate for the season.
Rewrite with purpose – ensure your home description sells the lifestyle, not just the layout.
Review your price positioning – make sure it’s in the sweet spot for attracting viewings and not priced out of the current market.
Get another opinion – sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot opportunities your current marketing has missed. An independent review can highlight small changes that make a big difference.
If your sale has stalled this summer, the end of the school holidays is your cue to regroup, refresh, and relaunch — with the right strategy, the right marketing, and the right agent by your side. If you’d like an honest, independent chat about how to get your move back on track, I’d be happy to help.
