As we all set our minds to Christmas shopping, strategies for coping with the ‘in-laws, parties and silly stuff, what does the Christmas season spell for the property developer?

1. Auction rooms are quieter – generally there are fewer people winding their way into the auction rooms from late November onwards. This means that if you are interested in a property that is going under the hammer during late November or December, you may find less competition in the room. Bear in mind though the 28 day completion and given that many companies pretty much just tick over on skeleton staff for 2 weeks over the Christmas period, you may find that progress on any finance and legal leg work takes longer than usual.

2. Estate Agents go into hibernation – Estate agents traditionally find that the number of new listings falls sharply in the weeks leading up to Christmas and there are fewer committed buyers as well – with people delaying making any decisions about house moving until the New Year. This year, with an already very weak supply of property coming onto the market, a further fall in new listings means that Estate Agents are desperately short of stock to sell.

3. Tenants Go Home – If you are renting to students or young working professionals, you may find that they pack up and head back to Mum & Dad for the Christmas / New Year period. This means that your property may be left vacant for a while. Keep an eye of your rental units yourself if possible during this time and be aware that you may be obligated to notify your home insurance company if your property is vacant for anything more than 2 weeks.

4. Building work slows – Aside from the shorter days and delays due to bad weather you may find that building works slows considerably during the festive season. Like most businesses, your trades people and contractors are likely to take time off for a well earned rest. This may mean that your on-site labour count decreases and progress on your project slows up.

For more information on this topic, please visit the site store to order your SIGNED copy of Martin's book, 'Teach Yourself: Making Money From Property' available for just £9.99 plus P+P.

Alternatively join me and my team on one of my Special 3 day Property Training Weekends, when we'll teach you what you need to know to become successful as a property investor or developer - and help you avoid costly mistakes.