Estate agents could face a slower start to the autumn market, with almost nine in ten parent buyers expecting school commitments to restrict property viewings.
New research from House Buyer Bureau found 88% of homebuyers with school-aged children expect to book or attend fewer viewings during the first few weeks of term.
The impact could extend beyond viewings. Some 86% of parents expect to spend less time actively searching for a home as family routines resume.
Just 8% expect to maintain the same level of property searching, while 6% anticipate spending more time looking.
Childcare is the biggest obstacle, cited by 24% of respondents. School drop-offs and pick-ups follow at 22%.
After-school clubs and activities present difficulties for 13%. Returning to work, buying school essentials and re-establishing family routines each accounted for 11%.
Agents may also need to adapt when they schedule viewings.
Some 37% of parents favour viewing during school hours, while 35% prefer weekends. Evenings work best for 20%, compared with just 8% who favour after-school appointments.
Digital marketing could become more important while buyers have less time to visit properties.
Almost four in five respondents (79%) expect to rely more heavily on online listings, virtual tours or video viewings.
The slowdown could also last longer than the opening weeks of September.
Four in five buyers would consider delaying a viewing because of school commitments. That could leave agents waiting longer to convert initial interest into physical viewings.
Sales progression could also suffer. Some 92% of respondents expect school commitments to slow their purchase by making it harder to deal with calls, paperwork, surveys and mortgage appointments.
Three-quarters expect it to take more than a month before they can give their property search their full attention again.
Only 12% expect to return to normal search activity within a week. A further 8% expect it to take two to three weeks, while 5% said around a month.
Managing director of House Buyer Bureau, Chris Hodgkinson, said: “September traditionally marks the point at which the property market starts to find its feet again following the summer holidays, but for parents, the return to school can leave very little time for searching for a home, attending viewings or progressing a purchase.
“What really stands out is that this may not be a short-lived blip. Three quarters of parents believe it could take more than a month before they can give their property search their full attention again, potentially delaying the usual autumn uplift in activity.
“The final run-up to Christmas is traditionally a busy one and we expect motivated buyers to return once the back-to-school disruption has subsided. But sellers shouldn’t necessarily expect that activity to materialise immediately and, for those who need to sell quickly, a few quieter weeks can make a considerable difference.”
