If you want to sell your home before Christmas, you need to hurry, according to estateagent4me.

The estate agent comparison site says there is still just enough time, if you get your property on the market by October 21st.

It found that, over the past four years, homes listed in October have taken an average of 61 days to sell. This means that homeowners who want a sale agreed this side of Christmas should be listing their house for sale by Monday 21st October at the latest.

On average since 2015, properties in the UK have stayed on the market for 51 to 70 days.

However, New Year remains the best time to list your property for a speedy sale, with homes listed in January selling the fastest.

Paula Higgins, chief executive of Homeowners Alliance (which runs estateagent4me), said: “If you’ve been waiting for certainty over Brexit before putting your home on the market to sell this year – unfortunately, time has run out. Deadline day for advertising your home if you want to sell before Christmas is 21 October. So it’s time to get a move on.

“The first step is to find the best performing estate agent in your area – and a good starting point is estateagent4me, which ranks local agents by how rapidly they sell and how often they secure the asking price.”

Top tips to sell before Christmas

The Homeowners Alliance has put together its six top tips for selling before Christmas:

1. Boost your home’s kerb appeal. Our recent survey found that 68% of buyers found kerb appeal to be important. The features that matter most to home buyers are windows being in good condition and a roof that doesn’t need repair. For other important features and how to make attract buyers and sell for a top price, see our research on how to boost your homes kerb appeal: https://hoa.org.uk/2019/09/kerb-appeal

2. Make sure the price is right. Too high and you won’t get any viewings, too low and you’ll miss out on getting what your house is worth. You can check what houses in your area sold for using the Land Registry site http://landregistry.data.gov.uk/app/ppd/

3. Get your house ready for sale. As Brexit uncertainty hits an all-time high, only the best houses will sell. Make sure yours is looking top-notch. As the winter months approach, make sure your home does not look too dark – it is vital to let in light with lamps, candles and mirrors.

4. Set up your solicitor. Instruct a conveyancing solicitor early and start pulling paperwork together now if you want to secure a quick sale.

5. Optimise your viewings. Let your estate agent take the lead and tackle any tricky questions, but listen in to make sure they’re putting your house in its best light. And do a final clean before any prospective buyers arrive.

6. Choose the right buyer. You’re ideally looking for a chain free buyer who has evidence that they have their finances in place and will move quickly in organising a survey and a solicitor.