Holidays May Be The Best Time To Sell Your House

This is incorrect. Buyers are still looking for houses during this time. These are very serious buyers who are getting a little frustrated. They have been looking and looking and not finding what they need. These buyers are checking every day and not finding anything. They notice during this time of year that few new homes come on the market.

I looked at our MLS system for the last 5 years to show that buyers don’t take the holidays off. Here are the actual statistics.

From November 1 to December 31 an average of 184 homes came on the market. During that same time an average of 143 homes sold. So the difference of new listings to sold was 41 houses.

Taking a look at the next two months from January 1 to February 28 an average of 396 homes came on the market. During the same time 197 homes sold. The difference of new listings to solds is 199 houses.

So if you list during the holidays you have a much better chance to get showings.

Here are a few other good reasons to list your home during the holidays.

1. When your home is decorated for Christmas it is at it’s very best.
2. Buyer’s are more emotional during this time of year, and believe me, buying a house is an emotional decision.
3. Winter buyers are serious buyers compared to the spring time tire kickers.
4. Many buyers want to close before the end of the year for tax reasons.

If your home is already on the market this is a good time of year to make a price adjustment. If it has been on the market for awhile it needs a price reduction. A good sized reduction to get it to the market price this time of year will get attention for the same reasons as those above. You need to get ahead of the market before the flood of new listings hits after the first of the year.