The Best Time to List Your Home

Spring, right? Most people believe spring and summer are the hottest seasons for the real estate market. And they are right, and wrong.

Spring and Summer certainly have the most buyers and sellers on the market, which means busy open houses, multiple showings, and lots of For Sale signs out there. So why would anyone dare to claim that winter would be the best time to sell?

Because spring and summer are crowded.

As a seller, would you rather clean and vacate your home every other day to accommodate for 20 showings on your home if two of them are serious, or would you rather have only the two serious buyers make appointments? If you said the latter, then you understand why listing in the winter is the hidden secret to real estate.

All Realtors are used to hearing the phrase "We're going to wait until spring to sell our home; homes don't sell in the winter anyway." And all Realtors cringe when that's said. If only they understood that selling over the Holidays doesn't have to be exhausting. If they only understood the possibility to sell for OVER asking price.

Think about it, if a buyer is looking at homes around Christmas... they are serious. Plus, there are less sellers on the market which means less competition. Suddenly, your home that can't sell in the spring because it doesn't have the upgrades the other homes in the neighborhood have, is the only option for the buyer who wants that particular neighborhood. With the principle of supply and demand, this drives up your selling price.

This article from the LA Times summarizes this perfectly:

"If you want to sell for more than your asking price, listing in December, January, February and March gives you a better chance on average than if you list any time from June through November."

Looking for more real estate tips? I specialize in finding great Realtors across the country. If you're in Charlotte, NC, I'd love to help. If not, let me find you a great Realtor in your area!