By Lawrance Morrissey
At this time of year, I'm often asked, "Is this a really bad time to put my home up for sale?" Surprisingly, the answer is no, and here's why: The real estate market moves about the same pace year-round. You may find it interesting to know that often, the slowest two weeks of the year are the first two weeks of July. Kids are home from school, summer vacations are in full force and the 4th of July is a coveted non-working family holiday.
It is true that in the winter, home inventory shrinks to miniscule proportions. But, this can actually play to your advantage. That's because situations exist year-round that nobody can predict. People get job-transfers, divorced, home sick, etcetera, year-round. |
And the holidays, snowfall, or a "slow real estate season" will not cease for any situation. That means people who have to move will choose from the inventory that's available at that given time. This all extrapolates to less competition, and while you'll have less activity, the inquiries you do get will be from very serious buyers.
Last year we had 4 customers in December that reached "sale pending" status and/or went to closing. In January, we had 6 more. While these numbers are considerably lower than our spring and summer months, they do represent very similar proportions of homes that sell vs. inventory at that given time. So if you're ready to sell, the market is anxiously awaiting your home.
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