There comes a point toward the end of the summer holidays when the sadness of summer coming to an end is outweighed by the promise of fresh starts, order, and the reestablishment of familiar routines!

As the holidays come to an end and the battle to claw back the late nights and slipped routines ready for the return to work and school reaches its zenith, it’s time to turn your attention back to your home, and those things you promised to deal with ‘after the summer’.

For some owners this means asking that question that has been niggling away throughout the school holidays: are we still happy here or is it time to move?

The September reset

The chaos of summer leaves behind a distinct urge to organise, spring clean and strip back before Christmas makes its final approach later in the year.

The practical benefit of visitors having flown the summer nest and children returning to school isn’t simply that the house stays tidier, it’s the breathing room and headspace that the quiet calm of an empty home affords you.

It’s the perfect time to declutter and finish those DIY jobs that you simply haven’t had a second to get to. It is also the perfect time to organise your finances, seek out that crucial mortgage advice, work out what it is you really want (and need) from a home and, to speak to an estate agent and take those first steps.

A chance to reflect

As you look back fondly over your summer memories, it’s also a useful time to reflect on the practicalities of life. As the routines reset, they can reveal how well, or how badly, a home is working.

Children who began summer in primary school and are ending it ready for the transition to high school, do their bedrooms still work? Homework space will soon become important. Will the secondary school commute become an issue as winter weather approaches?

Job changes can also impact the way in which we live, hybrid working might necessitate the need for quiet, private office space within the home or out in the garden. And conversely, with older children leaving for university, empty bedrooms and silent playrooms can leave a home feeling echoey and enormous.

It isn’t only sellers who reset with the return of September. Buyers who may have spent the summer browsing properties between holidays, days out and disrupted routines are now back at their desks, back to familiar schedules and potentially ready to act. With fewer distractions and the year beginning to feel as though it is finally gathering pace, those who pressed pause on their new home hunt over the summer may return in September with renewed focus - particularly if the prospect of moving before Christmas is part of the plan.

The best of both seasons

There is a myth that still seems to linger that Spring is the best season to sell your home, yet September offers the best of both seasons when it comes to showcasing your home’s finest features.

Gardens are still green, the days are warm and retain enough length and natural light for photography and viewings, while cooler evenings bring the first hint of autumn cosiness indoors.

Of course, there is no mythical ‘perfect’ month to sell and the right time will always depend on a seller’s circumstances, future plans, home and the local market. But what September does have is one important advantage: there is still plenty of the year left. If you’ve spent the summer saying, ‘We’ll think about moving when the children go back to school,’ now is the ideal time to turn that thought into a conversation.

Could I move home in time for Christmas?

If celebrating Christmas in a new home is the goal, September certainly isn’t the month to procrastinate. It’s the time for action.

From arranging a valuation and preparing your home for photography to launching onto the market, hosting viewings, accepting an offer and progressing through conveyancing, there are plenty of stages between deciding to sell and collecting the keys.

While no agent can promise a Christmas move - particularly where chains are involved - getting underway in September puts you in a far stronger position than waiting until the nights draw in to decide that you’d quite like to be somewhere new by Christmas.

So long summer!

Summer, you’ve been a blast, we’ll never forget you, but it’s time to look ahead to the future. And so it is with a spring in our step that we pack away the shorts, sun cream and picnic blankets, bid adieu to the bucket and spade and relish the prospect of clutter free living.

September has a habit of bringing life back into focus: yes the holidays are over, but the routines return, and all those plans put on pause for the summer suddenly find their way back onto the agenda. If moving home is one of them, you don’t need to have every detail figured out before taking the first step. Start with a conversation, find out what your home could be worth in today’s market and discover what making your move this autumn might look like.

If thoughts of moving have started to creep back in with the return of September, why not come and have a chat? Sometimes, finding out what your home is worth and what the market looks like locally is all it takes to turn a ‘maybe one day’ into the beginnings of a plan.