My wife and i have just applied fo Skilled Worker cat 1 and are on list of 38. The estimated wait for visa is, i believe, about 12-18 months under the new regs if we are successful and it goes to plan.

What have people found is a reasonable length of time to allow for tidying up loose ends in the UK before actually moving to Canada ( i don't mean just landing to activate Visa)
We are estimating about 12 months to plan:
-Selling house
-Selling all the other stuff we have accumulated over the year
-Decide which area to move to in Canada, recce trips
-Organise monies, pensions etc
-Try to line up some job opportunities (i'm presuming your chances of interest are vastly increased with PR)
We have 2 young children so we don't want to rush it, what have other peoples experiences been?

The estimated timescale for FSW is 6-12 months, but as it's so new, nobody really knows.

Don't forget that you have 12 months from the date of your medicals before you actually have to Land in Canada, and another 2-3 years before you need to be living their permanently (so as to meet the requirement of being physically in Canada for 2 years out of every 5), so there is no need to rush.

One of the reasons i am looking so far ahead is that i believe the time to arrive in Canada is in the spring. I think arriving in Canada with only three or four months before winter could leave you really underprepared.

The time to arrive is when you're reasonably secure in the knowledge you're able to make a go of it. I'm not sure that which season of the year has much to do with it.

Everyone's circumstances are different, but I got everything in the UK tied up within 2 months of making the decision to move and arrived in late August.

We managed to do it in 2 weeks! so that my daughter could start school in sepember - it was a bit of a rush and we had already sold the house and spent a year selling off bits and bobs on ebay. got bank accounts set up 6 months prior, so the final push really just amounted to finalising bills, booking flights and arranging shipping (already had stuff in boxes in storage).

I dont think it really matters when you arrive - however i'd say january would be more difficult than july.

Personally I would try to sell the house first - it will probably take the longest and create most stress, if it goes quicky you can always rent, and then you can be in control of your timescales, rather than at the beck and call of some prospective house buyer who might try all kinds of tricks if they know you have a deadline!

My 2mths timescale included putting a house on the market, selling, packing, shipping stuff and tying up all the loose ends. I don't think it need be a drawn out process, though selling a house is the biggest variable.

Your house is probably your biggest financial tie and also the biggest variable. We were amazing lucky, to get an offer on our house after one day. The house down the road has been on the market for 11 months. Obviously a realistic price helps, but no-one can afford to give their house away, so how long is a piece of string.
Better to give yourself breathing space rather than rush aound towards the end. Good luck!