With the holidays approaching, many sellers want to know if they should keep their properties on the market or take them off. Even more, if they haven’t listed their homes yet, should they wait until after the first of the year? Maybe hold off until spring?
It used to be that Realtors® would tell you it was never a good idea to sell your home over the holidays. The idea behind this was that any would-be buyers out there were too busy with family planning for the holidays, Holiday parties, or even going on one last vacation for the end of the year. With only so many hours in the day, something has to give and the thought was that buyers looking for homes was exactly what was going to give.
In today’s “connected” age, information is always at our fingertips. We are never a thought or two away from “real life”, even if we are enjoying a vacation or time with family and friends. To those ends, the idea of not putting your home on the market in the winter has changed. The home buying season is not a year round event.
Today we want to share with you a few ideas as to why you should consider putting your home on the market (or keeping it on the market) during the holidays, rather than waiting until the beginning of the year.
Serious buyers never stop looking online
Remember that “connected” thing we just mentioned? It’s true. Today’s serious buyers never stop looking. They’re looking online, looking on agent or MLS websites and always ready to jump, should the right property make it’s way onto their device’s screen.
Inventory is lower which means less competition for you getting a buyer
Despite buyers always being one step away from their devices when looking for homes, home sellers still have the misconception that serious buyers aren’t out there in droves during the holidays.
Due to this, you have a much better chance of getting qualified offers for your home, as there aren’t as many homes on the market. And of course, fewer homes and more offers means a higher potential sale price.
“Serious Buyers” – The hidden gem of selling your home over the holidays
There is also another hidden advantage of selling over the holidays. The offers you are going to get are very, very serious offers. It takes a motivated seller to want to uproot their family over the holidays and move into a new home. Because of this, the offers you get aren’t going to be from buyers that are going to get cold feet. They are from buyers that want YOUR home and are willing to do what it takes to make it happen.
It’s not for everyone, but it could be very good for you
Selling your home over the holidays clearly isn’t for everyone. As you can see though, there are certainly some serious advantages that are worth at least considering, before you resign yourself to waiting until January to list your home.
If you are thinking of selling, but weren’t sure if now is the right time, contact us anytime. We are happy to explore your options and help you come up with the solution that is right for you.
