When we decide to move house, our minds are filled with plans. Happy, joyful plans for the new home and all the wonderful memories we will make when we live there. But these plans and daydreams about this perfect new home can leave you slightly disappointed as you look around your current property.

Planning for a new home and a new life, to some extent, is exciting. But, there is a substantial hurdle to overcome before those dreams and plans can come to fruition - selling your current home first. 

Christmas is often a significant milestone. It is a huge occasion where friends and family gather and marks the end of the year. This means that Christmas is a deadline for many home movers because they want to host the best Christmas ever for their families, and they have found the perfect home to do that in. 

Even though we've only just passed the halfway point of the year and we're technically still in summer, truthfully, there isn't much time left between now and Christmas. As soon as the kids return to school and Halloween is out of the way, the shops will all be full of decorations, and George Michael and Mariah Carey will be the background soundtrack of every shopping trip. Do you have enough time left to sell your home and move by Christmas?

True, the timescale is tight, but it is possible. However, there are a few things that you will need to do to expedite the situation so that you can get moved in time. You must be reasonable, proactive and on the ball the whole way. These tips will help you stay on track:

1. Don't hang about - speed is of the essence, so you need to get your property on the market without delay. It takes time to promote a property to potential buyers and for those buyers to come forward to arrange viewing appointments. Ideally, you need to have a buyer and an offer accepted within the first few weeks of marketing, so you really don't have time to spare.

2. Have a strategy - simply putting your property online and hoping that a buyer sees it and calls to arrange a viewing is not going to cut it. You need a detailed strategy to build interest quickly and ensure that you receive acceptable offers within the first few weeks to get into the legal process as soon as possible. 

3. Preparation - instruct a solicitor before receiving an offer and get all initial paperwork back to them ready for starting the sale. The Property Information Forms are lengthy, and you might have to dig out old certificates and proof of ID. Get ahead of everything by doing this before you have a buyer.

To be moved by Christmas, you'll have to be on the ball throughout, answer questions as soon as they come in and respond without delay. You will also need to communicate your timescale with your agents, solicitors and, crucially, the buyers so that everyone is on the same page and pushing for the same timescale. 

Throughout the sale process, you must communicate with your agents and solicitors regularly and not sit on questions. Ask your solicitors to converse with you by phone or email, rather than by letter, if they can, to speed up that communication, too, as this can save a lot of time. 

There is never a guarantee that you can sell your property within a specific time. With the coordination of buyers, sellers, mortgage lenders, and surveyors, not to mention chains, there are countless bumps in the road when selling a property. But there are definitely some things that you can do to help things along and make a speedy completion more likely. Don't delay; you really don't have time to waste. 

But don't be disheartened if you try to sell your home before Christmas and it doesn't quite work out as you'd hoped. Take it as a sign to enjoy your last Christmas in your family home. Put a pause on the viewing appointments and enjoy yourself, safe in the knowledge that the housing market in January is always robust!

Contact our team of experts to arrange your valuation appointment today so that you can be on the market quickly, offers accepted, and solicitors instructed as soon as possible.