When I first started out as an agent, house-hunters pored over the ads in the property pages, booking their slots to view the following weekend. And over the course of more than 25 years, the working week has typically geared up to a jam-packed Saturday diary. 

But recently we’ve seen a shift. In London Friday is now our busiest day in terms of sales viewings – 21% of them took place on a Friday in the first five months of the year compared to 15% on a Saturday. And Friday viewings in the country are on the rise too.

So why is Friday the new Saturday? 

It’s yet another example of how the pandemic has influenced the way we live and work. More people are now working from home, often on a Friday, which means it’s possible to pop out to view a property between meetings. 

Getting to a viewing within the hour is very doable in London and other regional cities such as Cambridge and Chelmsford. Country locations like Cornwall and Stamford have also seen an uplift in Friday viewings, perhaps a reflection of those relocating and taking a long weekend to visit a new area.

Advances in the opportunity to work more flexibly have meant that people simply aren’t as fixed to attending after work or on a Saturday these days. 

Meanwhile those buying or selling within a family market will often make use of the kids being at school on a Friday, whether that’s to view a house between calls or to head to work from a nearby café while someone else views theirs. We’re seeing this happen in neighbourhoods across the capital, from Victoria Park in the east to Brook Green in the west as well as Wimbledon, Richmond and other areas of London as people seek to have a clearer weekend for themselves and their families.

The amount of preparation people undertake before a viewing has also shifted a gear. With so much information to be gleaned online, today’s buyers come along more clued up about the property, the neighbourhood, and the community they could be buying into. And sellers are also taking strides to present their home in its very best light.

Friday may be the new Saturday but one thing hasn’t changed: first impressions really do count for everything any day of the week.

Further information

Contact Liza-Jane Kelly