Listing Your Home During the Winter Season

November 20, 2015

Listing Your Home During the Winter Season

It is common norm that people who ought to sell their homes or property would take their listing off the market during the winter or holiday season. This is because they are under the impression that buyers are most likely to look into homes during summer or when kids are on summer vacation so that when the new school year comes, their kids will be able to go to the new school which is near to their newly purchased home. Thus, market for home selling is high and competition is stiff during spring season.

However, this does not mean that you should go with the norm because it still pays when you list your home during the cold season. There are still a couple of potential buyers and not just families with children but millennials or empty nesters are a good start to market your home during this time of the year.

According to recent studies, it shows that average sellers sell more or above their asking price during the months of December, January, February and March compared to those who sell during the months of June up to November.

Now the question is, “will you be listing your property in the market during this cold season?” And if so, what are the things that you can do in order to sell them quickly. Today we will be highlighting some essential information that you can use as a guide in order to help you during your home selling process.

Check local listing

Check local listings to be able to determine if there is a market for real estate during these seasons. Being able to identify and know the number of days a listing is on the market current and recently sold will be able to help you out if you should pursue with the process. If most of the listings are 60 days or older, then it is safe to assume to wait until spring to put them on the market but if the properties are selling quickly, then that will be your green light to sell.

Fair Pricing

One way to be able to sell your home is to make sure that you will not overprice. The reason why properties are on low price during the spring is because of bidding wars due to stiff competition. This is not the case when selling during winter as this is not a good time to test the market. The tendency is if you home doesn’t sell during the winter, you may drop the price and go beyond its market value. Come spring, you property will look stale in comparison which is not a good thing looking at it through a buyer’s perspective. Thus, the probability of getting multiple offers is less likely.

Heating and Maintenance

Basic utility is heating especially when the cold weather strikes. Home buyers are most likely to look at how the heating facility when talking about efficiency for cost and maintenance. This can be a deciding factor for them to purchase your home. Consider some simple tune-up such as getting inspection for the HVAC, furnace and roof to determine if repairs are necessary. You can also make some simple low-cost upgrades such as insulating the attic or installing energy-efficient windows to cut down on utility bills.

Brighten Your Home

Paint the walls off-white as this will make the space look and appear larger. Stay neutral by adding seasonal themes such as stacked wood, and stay away from any specific belief or religion. There are also minor repairs that you can do such as fixing chipped paint and repairing cracked windows and seals. Add curb appeal by doing basic landscaping and adding cold weather plants such as holly outdoors. Depersonalize and de-clutter so that potential home buyers will be able to envision themselves living in your property. Showcase the property as they would see it all-year round by adding photos of the property and how it would look like during spring or warmer season.

Here are just some of the few tips that you can be able to utilize in order to sell your home quickly during the cold or winter season. Seek advice from a professional regarding selling your property to give you a more informed decision.

Source: http://time.com/money/4083196/winter-home-sale-tips/?xid=frommoney_soc_socialflow_facebook_money#20551653