It is a common refrain.
“This isn’t a good time”.
“We’ll wait until the yard looks better”.
“We’re going to wait until spring”.
As we have written so many more times before, a huge consideration to be made when selling anything is supply vs. demand. Waiting until spring may sound great. Flowers are blooming, pools are opening, windows are open and people are even smiling again at random strangers with no reason whatsoever! Who wouldn’t want to buy a home that time of year!
What clouds the issue is traffic.
Question: Is a good open house defined by the sheer number of attendees or by the quality of the 3 people that show up? The big difference between the winter and spring market that a lot of sellers commonly misjudge is the traffic.
“The Blizzard Open House” ::
An open house on a bad storm day is often viewed as a terrible day for an open house. Think about it this way. How hard is it for those few people to get to the house? Maybe they had to shovel their car out or perhaps they got soaked with cold rain. Either way, to even darken the doorstep of your open house required a mini battle that is a direct reflection of these buyers’ sincerity and motivation.
So, back to the “we’re going to wait until spring” concept. Homes sell over the holiday season, yes, it’s true. In light of that, consider these great reasons, in Dave Letterman Top 10 fashion, as to why this time of year can surprise when it comes to selling a home.
10. More social interaction increases person to person contact which increases word of mouth.
9. Selling in December often means moving in February or March which can be a great time to move. This allows you to move in and get settled inside before having gardens and grass to deal with!
8. Once we get into January, the VISA bills and dead of winter can settle in and cool the mood. Residential real estate is very much tied to positive emotions.
7. Goodwill this time of year is often at its peak, provided you’re not in line at a shopping mall. Small items that can bog down a negotiation are often more likely to be resolved without too much pain.
6. Holiday decorations help to warm up a space. The Danish have a great word for it: hygge, partially defined as creating a warm and friendly atmosphere. The more hygge the better!
5. Optimism and ‘planning for the future’ can often be a goal this time of year as people plan looking forward. Offer a well presented home that offers something buyers are looking for and you will find your buyer.
4. Less competition. Enough said.
3. Let’s face it. It is harder to buy nearly everything this time of year. Schedules are less predictable. Snow can get in the way. In-laws are coming to town. A child may have a cold or flu. Buyers that are coming to look at your home are not recreational.
2. People often worry that their home will show messy or chaotic. This time of year, everyone has a bit more understanding and tolerance for what may not appear its best.
1. Buyers are more likely willing to work with your schedule. The empathy metre is running near its highest so fear not, people will understand. Believe it or not! Bottom line, a well prepared, well marketed and fair priced product will be able to sell any time of the year.
To discuss your home and its position in today’s real estate market, feel free to contact us.
We would love to hear from you!
Thank-you for visiting.
THEbTEAM
Thanks to Sergey Shmidt Kay for the pretty photo.