When it comes time to sell your house, entering the market can be a very fickle proposition. However, there are many tools to help make the process easier. The biggest key to making your home sale go as easily as possible is to enter when the market is hot. Trying to find the best time to sell a house depends on a lot of variables, including location, weather, price range, and the condition of your house at the point of sale. When you find the right balance of these elements, you can make the market work in your favor.
Home sale trends can depend a lot on where you live. Home sales can follow a weather forecast for an area: houses in New England may not sell well during the winter, but you may be able to list a house in San Diego at any time during the year. Consider the effort the buyer is putting into coming into your house. Nobody wants to traipse around houses in heavy jackets and boots, and they certainly don’t want to trudge through an unplowed front walk. The best season overall for selling houses is late spring into early summer, especially the month of May. With summer approaching, there is more time for families to make the transition into a new city or neighborhood. Plus, flowers are in bloom and curb appeal tends to be higher when front lawns are not covered in the remains of a snowstorm.
When determining the best time to sell a house from the economic perspective, there are two markets into which you could enter: a buyer’s market, or a seller’s market. A buyer’s market is usually more saturated with homes, giving the buyer not just more possibilities, but also more leverage in negotiation. This type of market would occur in the previously mentioned peak selling months. You are more likely to see a seller’s market in periods when houses wouldn’t normally be listed, late in each season, especially around winter or any major holidays. However, if you need to list your house right away, and there are a few potential buyers, the seller has the upper hand as to what concessions will need to be made. It’s important to keep in mind that any time a house is for sale, there are more costs associated with the sale than just a listing fee and agents costs. There are inspections that have to be completed, legal fees, taxes on selling a house, and other general moving costs. Beware that no matter when you list your house, it will most likely cost you more than you expect.
If you have to sell your house fast, consider selling it as-is. Adjust the list price to account for any renovation or upgrades the new owners might have to consider when buying your home. Listing a house as is will save you time in completing the necessary steps you need to take before you can complete a sale. If you do have the time, and can make certain renovations to your house before you move, it might be beneficial to do so. If your kitchen is out of date, but the kitchens at the house selling around you are more modern, it may put you at a disadvantage and it might be harder to sell your house.
The most optimal way to determine the best time to sell a house is to keep a constant eye on those markets. Use an online estimate tool to see how your home’s value is fluctuating over time and how much other houses around you have sold for recently. Real estate listings are in the public domain, so there are plenty of tools for your research. Your best resource, though, is a local knowledgeable realtor. Let them help you understand the variables, as well as the current conditions of your surrounding area. With a trusted advisor, you will have a valuable partner throughout the process of selling your home.
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