OPINION: Boxing Day Nonsense

Boxing Day, that hangover from Christmas Day in more ways than one and that sees us gathering around the table again for another gut-busting feast, some more games, a few more drinks and – house buying. Apparently.

And I don’t mean in a Monopoly kind of way.

Yes, it’s become a well-worn edict in the media that the 26th of December is the ‘best day to sell your home’. Many estate agencies now encourage their potential clients to list their home in the few days before Christmas in order to take advantage of this ‘super opportunity to get your house sold on the busiest day of the year’. And which is one of the most stupid things I’ve ever heard, akin to still believing that a fat bloke in a red suit breaks into your house and leaves your kids presents that his elves have just knocked up (in this age of stranger-danger this in itself is surely a myth that needs re-looking at?)

Actually, I suspect that this phenomenon has been created by the PR agencies of Rightmove and Zoopla rather than it being based on any reality and must tenuously relate to itchy fingers becoming a little bored after a few days off whilst also being temporarily excited about their shiny new ipad.

The thought that poor unsuspecting sellers are currently sitting there a few days before Christmas Day with adrenaline fuelled expectations of an asking price offer whilst the turkey is still warm, is, as we all know, ****** ridiculous and so let’s stop lying to the public about this nonsense. After all, honesty would be a great starting point in righting property industry reputation and this festive fakery needs to stop accordingly.

The truth is that estate agents aren’t even open on Boxing Day nor in the many days thereafter, and so who are you kidding in peddling this rubbish? In fact glancing in the windows of some of my local agents this week reveals a plethora of days with the word ‘closed’ joyfully scrawled against them until what seems to be the end of time – or year end at least. And so any enquiry from the aforementioned idle hands will inevitably be ignored by most agents for several days.

And just imagine a poor unsuspecting applicant trying to arrange a viewing appointment for the day after Christmas – LOL. That would certainly be met by a ho-ho-ho at the other end of the ‘phone, wouldn’t it?

Whilst we are at it, let’s also bin the fabled Easter Weekend as being crazy for buyer activity (when everyone is away).

Anyway, bah humbug and I hope you all have an ok Christmas – I suppose.

Russell Quirk is the cheery, Christmas loving co-founder of ProperPR, the property specialist PR agency