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Why you shouldn’t list your home on Boxing Day
Boxing Day gets talked about as a “big day” for property. People are off work, they’re scrolling, the portals feel busy — so it can be tempting to think: let’s get it live on 26th December and ride the wave
Boxing Day is noisy. A huge number of new listings hit the market at once, and your home risks becoming just another thumbnail in a crowded feed. When you’re selling your biggest asset, the aim isn’t simply to be online — it’s to stand out, control the narrative, and launch properly.
Noise vs attention
Yes, buyers browse over Christmas. But they’re also distracted: family plans, travel, sofa days, leftover turkey. Attention spans are short, and competition is at its highest. That can mean a rushed listing gets an initial spike of views… then fades fast. And once a property loses that “new instruction” momentum, it’s harder to pull back the same level of interest later without price conversations starting too early.
And there’s another issue people don’t talk about enough: is the market even properly “open” at that time?
- Are agents even open? Some are, but staffing is thin, viewing availability is patchy, and response times aren’t what they are in January.
- Solicitors almost certainly won’t be. Which means even motivated buyers can’t progress much beyond “interest” until normal working weeks resume.
- Is your local area operating as normal? In many London pockets, the customer base for that property type has gone home for Christmas. The streets are quieter, favourite local spots are shut, and the “feel” of the neighbourhood can look completely different.
- What’s the traffic like? Festive traffic patterns are unusual — sometimes eerily quiet, sometimes clogged around shopping routes — and it can distort a buyer’s impression of the commute, parking, noise, and general flow of the area.
In short: Boxing Day activity can be high volume, but not necessarily high quality.
Who’s actually looking?
- A lot of Boxing Day browsing comes from very different “buyer types” — and not all of them are real buyers:
- Holiday cottage guests staying nearby wondering what things cost “out of interest”.
- Young adults home for Christmas, sometimes being gifted money or discussing moving out — but are they genuinely ready and able to view on the 27th or 28th?
- Bored browsers indulging in the national obsession: scrolling property prices between leftovers and films.
None of this is “bad”, but it does mean portal traffic doesn’t always equal proceedable demand. Don’t rush the marketing on your biggest asset. The difference between a decent result and a great one is usually preparation and positioning — not luck.
Before you launch, you want to be crystal clear on:
- Pricing strategy (not “pick a number and hope”)
- Who the buyer is and what they’ll respond to
- Presentation (decluttering, styling tweaks, small fixes that pay back, staging)
- Marketing quality (photography, creative videography, floorplans)
- Who is negotiating your largest asset? Who is meeting your buyers — and are they knowledgeable enough to protect value and handle objections properly?
And Christmas is a uniquely awkward time to “present” a property properly:
- Marketing materials date instantly if photos include Christmas decorations.
- Does the house look its best with guests staying over, leftovers in the kitchen, extra clutter, and the general chaos of hosting?
- Do you even want viewings at this time? Many owners don’t. And if it’s tenanted, your tenants almost certainly don’t.
- That’s what protects value — and it’s very hard to do well if you’re trying to rush to a Boxing Day deadline.
- Launch like an event, not a listing
A smarter alternative is event-led marketing: creating a focused launch moment that earns attention and builds momentum.
At Greater London Properties, we often treat a sale like an event because the goal is simple — create competition, and competition protects your price. That can include:
- A clear pre-launch plan (timing, positioning, target buyer profile)
- “Coming soon” activity to build early interest with qualified buyers
- Standout content from our in-house creative and marketing team
- A structured viewing plan (not scattered one-offs)
- Open days / launch weekends designed to concentrate demand
- Tight follow-up to convert interest into strong offers
When it’s done properly, you’re not waiting for the right buyer to stumble across your home — you’re creating the conditions for the best offer.
Storytelling sells (and it’s how you stand out)
Most listings read the same: bedrooms, square footage, transport links. That’s information — but it doesn’t make someone feel anything. Great marketing tells the story: how the home lives, the light, the layout, the lifestyle, the street, the local favourites. Buyers buy emotionally and justify logically — so the job is to help them picture themselves there and then back it up with the details. That’s why bespoke is best. Your home should be marketed like it deserves — not pushed out in a rush.
The Boxing Day trap: “We’ll improve it later”
A common mistake is launching quickly with the idea of updating the photos, rewriting the description, or adding a proper video later. But the first 7–10 days are when your listing gets the most attention: portal boosts, new alerts, and buyers deciding whether to book in. If you launch underprepared, you burn your best window before you’ve really started.
So when should you launch?
The vast majority of real buyers will still be looking mid-January. That’s the moment to launch — not during a busy festive season, and not the first week back when people are getting into routine and shaking off the post-Christmas slump.
A mid-January launch gives you the opportunity to:
- Get the property looking its best
- Set a clear pricing and sales strategy
- Create marketing that genuinely stands out
- Plan viewings and open days to build momentum
- Reach a more focused audience (with far less noise)
Instead of being one of many listings on Boxing Day with limited visibility, you’re launching with intent — and giving yourself the best chance of achieving the strongest possible price.
What GLP Feel..
Don’t rush your biggest asset onto the market on the noisiest day of the year. Launch with intent, tell the story properly, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of achieving the best possible result.
Our in-house media team — along with our director-led sales team — ensures you’re fully covered from preparation to negotiation. Just give us a call.
We wish you a joyful and restful Christmas and if you need us, we're here.
Warm Regards
Kate & Rob Hill
Founders, Greater London Properties & Support Our Schools Initiative
📞 Head Office Branch: +44 20 7292 2550
🌍 Local knowledge. Honest advice. Global reach.