Should You Wait Until Spring to List Your Home?

By Mark Spain Real Estate

Don’t wait to list your home! Buyers look for homes 24/7, every day of the year. With less homes listed and more buyers, the winter season means less competition for you. More importantly, early preparation will help you be in the best place to sell. 

 

Buyers Never Sleep- list your home now!

Winter may be hibernation season for some, but buyers never sleep! Every day more buyers begin the search for their dream home. Buyers aren’t stopping their search for the perfect home during the winter months, so you shouldn’t wait to sell, either. Aside from buyers now having the motivation to look all year long, they are also able to research from the palm of their hand.

From an endless amount of awesome home apps, to texts, emails, and phone calls, technology has revolutionized the home buying and selling processes. Families move year round, people are always looking to upgrade or downsize, and we are all constantly searching for the best deals. If you are considering selling this winter, don’t let any second thoughts stop you, list your home today!

 

Less Competition

Sellers, it’s your time to use lower inventory of homes on the market to your advantage. Just think about it: If there is a lack of great homes on the market and a surplus of buyers, who has the advantage? Putting your home on the market when more buyers are looking than homes that are available inspires quick offers, heavy numbers of showings, and even bidding wars.

Yes, the spring season has blooming flowers and green grass to its advantage, but in the winter, you have roasting marshmallows by the fire, curling up with warm, fuzzy blankets, and watching movies in the living room with your family as excellent selling points. What’s even better is that these selling points are unique because of the lack of competition.

You do not have to deal with the house around the corner or in an adjacent neighborhood using the same selling points. Don’t let the pressure of society keep you from selling this season. Listen to the professionals and think logically because this could be your best chance to sell!

 

It Takes Time

The ideal selling situation is not necessarily the norm. The buying and selling process almost never takes just 30 to 45 days. Once a buyer decides to make an offer on your home and you go under contract is when the 30 to 45 day process begins. The search, however, can take anywhere from one day to several years, depending on location, timing, agent, and an abundance of other home factors.

Price is one of the key factors in a home taking longer than a seller wishes to go under contract; overpricing is always a lose-lose situation. Find the best agent to help you with the process and start now while you have the advantage of less competition. Be smart and start the process early; stress from procrastination is not something you want to bring into the home selling process.

 

More Similar Than You Think

When we look at home selling performance data across Atlanta, the percentage of homes that go under contract quickly and homes sold above list price do not differ greatly from season to season. According to Redfin, in Atlanta, GA the average percentage of homes under contract in 30 days from 2010 through 2015 was 11% for both winter and spring.

This was followed by 10% of homes under contract within 30 days in the summer and 9% in the fall. Additionally, the percentage of homes that sold above list price do not differ too far either. In the spring in Atlanta, GA, 29% of homes sold above list price, closely followed by 27% in winter and summer, and 25% of homes sold above list price in fall. This is why you shouldn’t wait to list your home.

When evaluating this, we are talking about the same amount of individuals who go under contract in less than 30 days in the winter and spring. When looking at those who sell above list price, there is just a small 2% difference in individuals who sell above list price from winter to spring. These numbers showcase just how miniscule the decision to wait until the spring will matter.

Winter is your chance to get ahead of the game and get your home ready before the wave of sellers decide it’s time to sell. You did your research and know that spring is in fact not the only time to sell your home. If you are ready to list your home this winter, don’t delay!

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Mark Spain Real Estate is grateful to serve all of Metro Atlanta and Athens in Georgia, Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville in Florida, and Nashville in Tennessee!