The HomeOwners Alliance has claimed that January is the best month for a ‘quick sale’.

However, it is defining sales not as exchange or completion but when a property is sold subject to contract.

EYE has queried this definition with HOA, given the fall-through rate.

Data from the group’s estate agent comparison tool EstateAgent4Me shows that properties have typically reached the sold subject to contract (SSTC) stage the fastest in January at an average of between 51 to 62 days since 2015.

Properties reached the SSTC stage in an average of 62 days in January 2019 and in 57 days on average over the past four years.

The slowest market last year was May at 73 days.

The research found that the overall speed of “sale” in 2019 was 69 days, compared with an average of 61 days in the previous four years.

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, said: “Traditionally people wait for spring to sell their homes, but our data shows that if you’re looking to get moving, then there’s no better time to put your house on the market than this month.”

Below, the HOA’s chart released yesterday, which describes SSTC as “time to sell”