Homeowners looking to sell properties of distinction are being advised by Gerrards Cross estate agents Chewton Rose to put their properties on the market as soon as possible to take advantage of changes to Stamp Duty rules and the heightened interest from home movers at this time of year.

Gary Mellish, Branch Manager at Gerrards Cross Chewton Rose, said: “Not only is New Year traditionally a good time to sell, but there will be a double boost this year thanks to changes in Stamp Duty. We’re predicting a New Year buying bonanza, so if you have a luxury home, we’d urge you to get your property on the market with us as soon as possible.”

The new Stamp Duty rules state that no tax will be paid on the first £125,000 of the price of a property, followed by 2% on the portion up to £250,000, 5% on the amount between £250,000 and £925,000, 10% on the next bit up to £1.5 million and 12% on everything over that. This means a saving in Stamp Duty of over £3,000 on a £680,000 property.

Chewton Rose Chief Executive Paul Smith explained: “The market will realign itself quickly and the Stamp Duty savings at the lower end will push the values to cover the increased duty at the upper end.

“There is a shortage of good quality homes in the £750k to £1.5m price ranges, which will help drive prices up on a supply and demand basis. We are predicting that the stamp duty changes will have zero effect after the General Election.”

Chewton Rose, which prides itself on selling some of the best British homes across the country, says traditionally there has always been an upward spike in the amount of people searching for a new home in the first weeks of the New Year.

This is backed up by Rightmove, which says the first working day of the New Year in 2014 saw 2.2 million people visit their website, rising to 2.5 million by the end of the month, compared to the beginning of December when visits to the site reached 1.5 million.

Helen added: “We can start marketing your property as soon as you walk into our branch, although the brochure, written by a journalist and featuring photos taken by a professional photographer, will take a little longer.

“This time of year is also the perfect opportunity to have stunning dusk pictures taken that highlight the warm and inviting nature of your beautiful home, whether it’s a striking barn conversion, contemporary masterpiece, quintessential cottage or manor house.

“This coincides with figures from Rightmove that suggest that date is the busiest time of the year for people searching for new homes.”

*For further information, please contact Chewton Rose in Gerrards Cross on 01753 886177 8am to 10pm seven days a week, or visit www.chewtonrose.co.uk