Thoughts from Owner of Heather & Lay, John Lay on Quarter One of 2026
It has been a slow start to the year, affected by a lot of factors such as the uncertainty in the market, the shocking weather and the current instability of world events and political upheaval with everything happening in the US. The truth is – whether it is worth selling or not right now really is quite individual.
There are some properties that we would say absolutely, there is no time like the present. Whereas there are others with beautiful gardens that would be better to wait until spring or summer. For a standard property you won’t particularly gather more money at a different time of year, whereas for others, seasonality definitely helps the sale. As always, nobody knows better than you, the vendor. If you feel you want it on now, we would always say trust that over anything. But yes, things are taking longer to sell and properties coming onto the market are facing delays due to weather. There have not been many days when we could go out and photograph or get drone footage with the storms and continuous rainfall.
However, in my 38 years I have never known a year that hasn’t taken off and so 2026 will be no different, but this January has definitely been one of the worst I have witnessed. People will always want to move, and properties in Falmouth, Penryn and the surrounding areas will always be desirable. We have a very healthy market for properties in Cornwall so I have confidence that we will regain traction and actually, historically February is a very good month for us. Last year it was our second-best month for sales of the entire year.
The financial landscape also looks promising; interest rates aren’t going up and inflation is under control. As of this month, the Bank of England base rate is 3.75% following a reduction with mortgage rates improving as well. We have some fantastic new instructions coming onto the market. Last week we listed a detached farmhouse, and we have over 20 viewings on it already. Generally speaking, things are taking longer to sell but if it’s priced correctly, it will always sell.
Usually, we would put properties on straight away as we are accustomed to having a consistent year. However, if you have something that will shine in the spring or summer time when we have higher light levels with a garden that flourishes, I would think about timing for release. We saw one yesterday, with origins to the 1300s, a delightful property. But the vendor is busily making amends due to a tree that has come down in the recent storm so waiting while that is fixed is the right decision for the property. We saw another property this week – a derelict farm with 6 acres that will go to auction. We are constantly thinking of the best ways to sell and as always, pricing is paramount - accurate pricing is all important and being vigilant and understanding.
We had a blinding December where everything exchanged contracts before Christmas. And now we have a selection of properties waiting to go on but due to the weather we are behind on photography, so expect a bumper March where we’ll be working overtime to get them all to the market!
Honesty really is key, and we’ve been taking time to explain to people the situation with the market and our advice for their specific property. Sometimes waiting is the right thing to do and we don’t want to value something if we believe a better price could be achieved in six to eight weeks’ time. However, there are other properties where now really might be the right time - not to mention that the lead time of creating property details, photography, video tours and getting the property to market, is a lengthy process anyway so starting the conversation now is always a good idea because each property and situation is unique and we will always give you tailored advice to your specific property.
So, in short, how is the market looking? It’s been pretty terrible but as with the storms, the worst is behind us and now we are getting glimmers of sunshine and a hint of spring. For anyone who came onto the market in January, have hope that February is already looking brighter and for those, still considering, why not give us a call and we can come and have a friendly chat free of charge about your property and the best plan of action for you to sell in 2026.
