With the housing market the way it is – kind of bad – if you want to sell your home, you need to do everything possible to give yourself the best chance at finding a buyer. One very important thing to consider is when you put your home on the market. There are 12 months in the year, so which one should you choose? The truth is that there is no “best” listing time for everyone. It’s a very subjective decision, and everyone has different opinions on the matter. To help you decide what your best time is, here are some things to consider.
Spring is Here
The most popular time to list a home is in the spring. Now that springtime is here, you’ll see the market flooded with new listings. There must be a reason for this, right? Lots of people begin looking for a new home in the spring months, and the peak time for showings is from April to July. Buyers prefer to look for a home in nicer weather, and many with children want to move in before the start of the new school year in the fall. With flowers blooming and all the greenery of the spring, it’s a time when your house will have the most curbside appeal to attract buyers.
Wintery Ways
This doesn’t mean that you should never list your home in the winter. Lots of people choose to wait out the blustery weather, but it’s up to you. There are people looking for houses all year round, and people who are looking in the winter are often more serious about making a purchase as soon as possible. Because there are less houses on the market in the winter, that means less competition for you. In fact, on average a home for sale will get more showings in January and February than any other months of the year. In the springtime, there are more houses for buyers to choose from so you may have fewer showings.
Location, Location
When you’re working with a real estate agent, they should know a lot about the housing market in your specific area. More important than national trends are local ones. Depending on where you live, the “best” time to sell might vary. For example, warmer areas like California or Florida don’t see as much change in buying and selling throughout the seasons because wintertime is milder than in other parts of the country.
Are You Ready?
If you’re going to list your house for sale, the time of year is much less important than whether or not you’re ready to show and sell. If you want to sell your house, there is no real reason to wait for a specific time of the year to do so. Whenever you list your home, it needs to be in a condition that buyers will like. It should be staged to show and any repairs you intend to make should be finished. Even in the winter, it’s possible to spruce up your landscaping.
Patricia Wright is a retired grandmother with a passion for blogging who lives in Miami. She often uses a grammar checker to save herself time on proofing her writing and ensure it is free of any grammatical mistakes. As her family will tell you, she is an absolute lunatic for spicy peanuts.
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