I get the question often around the beginning of October, should I sell during the holidays or should I wait. I always suggest that there is no time like the present time to sell. Your buyer could be out there right now, just waiting for a home like yours to hit the market.
If you decide to go for it and list during the holidays you will want to keep the following reasons below in mind. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner these tips will become helpful if you decide to take the leap.
A Very Busy Time Of Year
We all know the pressure of being busy during the holiday season. With family friends and the plethora of holiday parties it seems like there is little time to do much else. It seems with so much going on during this time of year that selling a home would be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Who has the time to look for homes and go through the loan process?
Here in Southern California, we are fortunate enough to not deal with the crazy weather many other places have during winter. A lot of buyers find that the warm holiday season in Southern California is the perfect time to find the homes they are looking for and quicker than if they had during the summer, also here are some really nice homes for sale in Campanet that you can’t miss.
These buyers also tend to be more motivated due to the fact they are making time out of their busy schedule to shop for homes.
The Best Kind Of Buyer
If you are willing to do the extra work that comes with listing you home during the busy holiday season, your reward maybe ten fold. Decorating your house for the holiday season can play on the emotion of home buyers who have decided to take the time and shop. With less homes on the market during winter, the buyers will more than likely becoming to check out your home.
With holiday sales in the minds of everyone during the season, buyers can be hesitant to make a purchase; however they also might be more likely to purchase because. You will find less of what we call “tire kickers” during this time of year.
The fact that buyers are often thinking of family during the holidays can also motivate them to purchase homes that they can see raising a family, or having family over for the holiday season. These motivations can lead to purchasing a bigger home than they may otherwise have. The marketing efforts of your Realtor can appeal to these sensibilities, selling your home as a great place to raise kids. Some of this is discussed in the article above in which I explain some of the best sales tactics for selling a home during the holidays.
Faster Sales
One additional benefit of selling during the holidays is that buyers can usually get their loans approved much more quickly than they would during the Spring or Summer markets, when everyone starts selling again. Especially with the new rules with lenders, most escrows will be NO LESS than 45 days. Lenders, escrow and title are all less busy during the holiday season because so many people do not list their homes during this time.
Homes Look Their Best During The Holidays
The holidays can really make a house look like a home. A fire in the hearth, cookies baking, holiday decorations – all of these can be played up to appeal to the buyer’s senses. These trappings from the holidays can draw in buyers and make them feel like they could live in your home, that they could have their own warm and cozy holiday season.
Remember to make sure your home has a comfortable atmosphere including turning up the thermostats a bit before the showing. While it is always good to follow sound energy savings tips for your home, keeping the thermostat down could lead to a less than stellar showing environment, along with keeping the lights off.
Be Prepared For Your Next Move
If you do decide to put your home for sale during the holiday season there is that chance that the right buyer can come along right in the middle of Thanksgiving and Christmas. You will need to have your arrangements for after the sale ready to go. Do you already have home? Do you need to start looking? Buying and selling a home at the same time can be tricky. It is always best to think things out in advance. Your stress levels will go through the roof when you have not thought about all the “what ifs”!
You have probably asked yourself the same question – “if someone comes along and I have not found another home to buy where will I go”? This is a common dilemma many people face when trying to buy and sell simultaneously. As long as you have things planned in advance everything usually falls into place.
Selling For More Or Less?
At any point when selling a home there is no true way to know if your home will sell for more or less. This is especially true during the holiday season. There is the argument that because there are less houses to choose from, that you could get closer to your asking price due to a less saturated market. But you will also be dealing with less demand, as there will not be as many people looking for homes.
The numbers do not indicate that home prices are connected to the seasons. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to sell your home for a good price that is within the current market.