The countdown to Christmas is on. With less than three months to go, it’s time to start thinking about presents, food and decorating. But what if you want to sell your house and move before Christmas? Is there time?

Property transactions are notoriously unpredictable in terms of the time they take. According to Rightmove, it currently takes an average of 150 days between having an offer accepted and completion. According to that, it’s too late already. But remember that averages are just averages, and that speedy sales are eminently possible, even in challenging periods. People will always need to move house, and attractive homes are always appealing. So if you want to sell before Christmas, the key is to make your home as attractive as possible, and for that you need to start now.

Increasingly, sellers are turning to experts to help them make the most of their homes by dressing them specifically to attract buyers. Home Staging expert Elaine Penhaul was discussing this issue on Radio 4’s You and Yours recently, and she said: “If a house is dressed to attract multiple buyers, it will sell at its guide price or above it.” Coming out of Covid, she quoted that staged properties were attracting 10 buyers rather than the normal average of three, and selling for 15 % over the guide price. While things have changed a bit since then, it’s still very much the case that attractively presented properties can sell for 10% more, and significantly faster too.