One hears this topic discussed quite frequently and there are a lot of opinions floating around as to when exactly is the best time to sell. You’ve certainly heard “In the Spring”…or “Early in the summer, closing before school”….
One of the first steps I advise my seller clients is they need to think of their “home” as a house, when it is time to sell it…you must become objective. Coupled with one of the basic economic tenants, that being “Supply and Demand”, you will better understand the following.
There is no “best time” to put your house on the market. There are always buyers looking for a home – they’ve already sold theirs, they’ve been transferred, they are downsizing, upsizing, moving closer to work, had a child and need more space, their children have moved and they need less space….and so on.
When your house is on the market, it will be compared to other similar properties on the market at that time….sure, there may be more buyers looking in the Spring or early summer, but for certain their will me more properties on the market as well. So even if the demand may be greater, so is the supply.
While climbing over snow banks and navigating ice-topped driveways may not be the average purchasers` preference, there are still many that are willing to do so – and usually there are fewer homes on the market – again, perhaps lower demand but also lower supply. Personally, I think I have bought a house in almost every month of the year – the home I currently reside in we bought in early February during a winter storm.
So, sell your home when your personal circumstances dictate. If it is in the winter, a good tip is to have some pictures of your yard in the summer – prepare a nice portfolio if you can, to give prospective purchasers a glimpse of what they can enjoy when it comes summertime.
