By Ember and North Star: Finding Buyers in North Devon’s Silent Night
Your North Devon house selling guide to December.
2025 tested your nerve. Double council-tax premiums rattled the coast, rates teased then stalled, the Autumn Statement pressed pause, and a year-long buyers’ market tugged prices back to earth. That was just the way it was.
Here’s the way to bounce back.
December is the ember—small, dim, but enough to light the route if we stoke it. While casual buyers slip into mince pies and movies, the serious ones keep searching.
Our job now is simple and deliberate: sharpen the price, warm the presentation, open festive viewing windows, and tell the winter story of each home—fires lit, twilight walks, long tables at the ready.
Do the prep before Boxing Day and you’ll meet the surge head-on.
Let’s follow the North Star!
2025: The Year North Devon Learned to Sell Smarter
Short version: 2025 put the squeeze on optimism and rewarded action. If you’re selling in North Devon, this year taught you how to play the long game—with sharper pricing, better storytelling and a plan that outworks the market.
What actually happened in 2025:
1) A year-long “buyers’ market” pressed down on pricing.
Choice crept up, nerves stayed up, and most buyers brought spreadsheets to viewings. Over-ambitious guides sat. Realistic, well-presented homes still moved—often with tidy negotiations on timescales, contents and paperwork to keep momentum.
2) Double council tax changes hit the coast.
Spring’s local moves to charge council tax premiums on second homes (and the clamp-downs that followed) jolted the coastal/holiday market. Some owners re-priced or exited; others held firm and watched demand thin. Net effect: fewer pure “holiday bets”, more scrutiny on year-round usability and yield.
3) Interest rate drops teased then stalled.
Rate cuts flirted with us, then stared out of the window. Affordability nudged but didn’t cartwheel. Buyers stayed selective; lenders stayed sensible; the market rewarded credibility over bravado.
4) The Autumn Statement froze the room before it warmed it.
Weeks of leaks and headline ping-pong sent buyers to the touchline. Many pressed pause, waiting to see what would be announced. The moment clarity arrived, the market exhaled—but only the best-positioned listings converted that oxygen into offers.
What this meant for North Devon sellers:
• Price became a signal, not a wish. Launch in the ‘right price’ lane and you got viewings. Launch even close to fantasyland and you got cobwebs.
• Presentation turned into a tie-breaker. The homes that looked ready to live in, felt easy to buy, and sold.
• Access mattered. The more flexible your viewing windows, the more likely you caught proceedable buyers when they were actually in the area.
• Paperwork won deals. Searches ordered early, legal paperwork to hand, clear disclosures—less friction, faster decisions.
December Playbook: Set up your 2026 win! (starting now)
Think of December as your pre-season: the work you do now gets paid off between Boxing Day and mid-January when online search spikes and pent-up demand moves from “browse” to “book”.
Here’s what we’ll be doing for our clients:
1) Agree a Christmas–New Year marketing plan (portals and socials)
• Portals: Refresh headlines, first 5 photos, and summary to spotlight winter lifestyle (fires, snugs, dining space, walks, views).
• Social media: Line up scheduled posts for 26–31 Dec + first two weeks of Jan (Reels, carousels, short clips). Use place-led captions: “Frosty Tarka Trail at 9am. Back to the wood burner by 9.45.” Not just posts to our pages but paid advertising across social media.
• Email/VIP list: A simple “Boxing Day Bounce” preview with your best 6 images and a direct booking link.
2) Lock a holiday viewing timetable (yes, really)
• Publish availability for post Christmas** now. Example:
o Sat 28 Dec: 10:00–12:00 (clustered private slots or a light-touch Open House if demand allows)
o Sun 29 Dec: 11:00–13:00
o Wed 31 Dec (AM): “whistle-stop” slots for out-of-area
• Add early-evening options for commuters between Christmas and New Year.
• Keep a “short-notice” slot each day—serious buyers are in North Devon fleetingly.
• **All the above for ‘proceedable buyers only’ – no window shoppers just thinking about selling or just going on the market. They can book for January.
3) If you’re considering a price reset—do it before the Boxing Day surge
• A tidy, defensible guide price in December beats a January reduction that reads like retreat.
• Pair the reset with a new lead image + winter-lifestyle caption so buyers don’t scroll past a familiar face.
4) Go festive (tastefully): create “cosy proof”
• Exterior: One dusk photo with warm interior glow and subtle lights—no floppy inflatable snowmen, please, but tasteful ‘winter wonderland’ is welcomed.
• Interior: Wood burner lit, lamps layered, table dressed (one calm shot, not a banquet).
• Caption hooks: “Christmas lunch for eight, coats on the back of the bench after a Instow walk, boots drying by the stove.”
5) Sell the winter lifestyle, not just the square footage
• Features to push:
o Character details (decorated beams, stone, sash) that look best in winter light
o Snug/reading corner/home office with warm task lighting
o Dry storage/utility (post-beach, post-moor adventures)
o Parking (priceless in storm season)
o Proximity to winter walks: coastal path, Tarka Trail, Exmoor loops
6) Pre-empt the paperwork
• Order local searches and get your paperwork organised now (cheap goodwill; removes a classic delay).
• Line up boiler/electrical certificates, guarantees, FENSA, solar docs, building regs, septic tanks, where relevant.
• Draft a simple “buyer pack” PDF—Key paperwork, running costs, etc. Easy to email from your phone on Boxing Day.
7) Negotiate beyond price
• Have positions ready on timescale (faster/later), inclusions (appliances, curtains, sheds), and certainty (paperwork ready, dates in mind for completion).
• These are low-cost, high-impact chips that protect your headline number while solving the buyer’s real problems.
Messaging to use (steal this and suggest it to your agent)
• Headline for your refreshed listing:
“Fire lit, boots off, views on: a winter-ready home in North Devon.”
• Two-line hook for socials:
“Boxing Day browsers become January buyers. Don’t miss out! We’ve sharpened the price, warmed the welcome and opened extra holiday viewing slots. So be quick!”
The mindset for 2026
• Be early, AND loud. Get your repositioning and refresh done before the market ‘herd’ wakes up in January.
• Be flexible, not fragile. Viewings at odd times, sensible inclusions, quick paperwork.
• Be specific, not generic. Sell your home’s winter rhythm—stove, snug, walks, light—then the rest follows.
It’s time to be resolute, not to make unkept ‘resolutions’ for next year…
Let’s face it, 2025 punished ‘wishy washy’ hopeful thinking and rewarded decisiveness. Double council-tax changes reshaped the coastal calculus, the Autumn Statement froze buyers temporarily, rates flirted with cuts then sulked, and a buyers’ market kept everyone on their toes. The sellers who listened, adapted and acted, moved on—with better outcomes and less faff.
Use this December to reload: refresh the story, lock the timetable, sharpen the guide, and show the cosy, real-life version of your home.
Do that, and you give yourself every chance of a cheeky Christmas sale—or, at the very least, a flying start to 2026.
If you want me to audit your listing and build the Christmas–New Year campaign week-by-week, ping me a message.
I’ll bring the plan; you bring the mince pies. 🍪🔥
Nic Chbat
Director
Match Property & Unique and Distinctive Homes (North Devon’s bold, lifestyle-first, no-excuses estate agency)
P.S. I’m offering a relaxed 10-minute Seller Strategy Review call to help you do exactly that.
No pressure, no commitments — just straightforward guidance based on what’s actually happening locally.
How It Works — Quick & Simple:
- You get in touch – Reach out to request your free Seller Strategy Review.
- Share a few details – Tell us a little about your property and current plans (or if it’s already on the market).
- We do the homework – We analyse your specific property, market conditions, and positioning.
- Book a call – You’ll get a scheduled review call to hear our recommendations — simply and clearly.
- Next steps – You decide if you want to take action, with no obligation and zero sales pressure. That’s a promise!
Use the info below to arrange a time that suits you.
Email me direct at nic@matchproperty.co.uk Or call on 01271 410108