September has brought some encouraging signs that buyers are returning to the property market after what felt like a quieter and more cautious summer.

Recent data from Rightmove shows buyer demand in the South West rising by 8% during the first week of September, while wider portal statistics suggest property searches are around 7% higher than they were at the same point last year.

That tells us something important:

The buyers are there.

So, if your property is appearing online but viewings simply aren't happening, it's worth taking a closer look at what the market may be trying to tell us.

More buyers - but more competition too

While activity has improved, sellers are operating in a highly competitive marketplace.

According to Rightmove, the number of homes currently available for sale remains close to a 12-year high for this point in the year. Other market data suggests there are approximately 5% more properties available than there were a year ago.

For buyers, that means choice.

Today's buyers are comparing far more than location alone. They are carefully weighing up:

A buyer may genuinely like your home, but if another property appears to offer better value at a similar price point, that is often where their attention goes first.

No viewings is feedback

This is one of the most important conversations we have with sellers.

If a property is receiving little or no viewing activity, that is feedback from the market.

It does not necessarily mean there are no buyers looking.

It does not automatically mean there is anything wrong with the property.

What it does mean is that buyers are seeing the property and, for some reason, deciding not to take the next step.

Recent Rightmove figures show that although activity improved during September, buyer enquiries nationally remain around 9% lower than a year ago.

At the same time, buyers have more homes to choose from and affordability remains stretched for many households.

Wider market data also suggests that while property searches are increasing, agreed sales are still approximately 6% lower than last year.

In simple terms:

Buyers are looking, but they are becoming increasingly selective about which properties they choose to view.

Why price positioning matters

Price is about far more than simply choosing the figure you'd like to achieve.

Your asking price determines:

Rightmove reports that the average asking price of a newly listed property increased by 0.7% in September, but remains 0.8% lower than a year ago.

Meanwhile, the average time taken to secure a buyer in the South West currently sits at around 72 days.

That is why simply leaving a property on the market and hoping for activity isn't always the most effective strategy.

Sometimes a property needs to be repositioned.

Importantly, repositioning is not simply about reducing the price.

A well-considered price adjustment can expose a property to a new group of buyers, improve its competitiveness and create a fresh reason for buyers to take another look.

What we're seeing across our local market

Across Dartmoor, the Teign Valley and the surrounding South Devon area, buyers remain active and sales are still being agreed.

However, buyer behaviour has changed.

Today's buyers are spending more time researching before arranging viewings. They are monitoring new instructions, comparing values closely and taking longer to make decisions.

We often see this reflected in online activity.

A property may be generating healthy exposure and appearing in plenty of searches, but that does not always translate into physical viewings.

That distinction is important.

If buyers are not seeing the property online, you may have a marketing issue.

If buyers are seeing the property but choosing not to view it, the question becomes why.

Sometimes presentation is the issue.

Sometimes photography or marketing can be improved.

But very often, the conversation returns to value and whether the asking price reflects the market conditions buyers are operating in today.

Our advice this month

If your property is already on the market, now is an excellent time to review its performance objectively.

Ask yourself:

And perhaps the most important question of all:

What is the market telling us?

It can be tempting to believe that the right buyer will eventually appear if we simply wait long enough.

Sometimes that's true.

But in a market where buyers have plenty of choice, the strongest strategy is to continually review the evidence and respond to what buyers are actually doing.

The key message

There are buyers in the market.

They are searching, comparing and making decisions.

So, if viewings are not happening, it doesn't necessarily mean there is no demand.

It means the market is providing feedback.

And feedback is valuable.

Our role isn't simply to put a property online and hope for the best. It's to analyse the response, understand the competition and ensure your home remains one of the strongest options available to today's buyers.

As we often say:

You can be on the market...

Or you can be in the market.