The holidays are creeping up on us yet again and before you know it will be Christmas. During this time you may be tempted to take your home off the market or even wait to list it. With all the cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating, and dealing with in-laws your schedule is pretty booked. The last thing you want is for potential buyers to be marking through your home, however, this is actually a huge mistake. Although it may be busy during the holiday season, you can miss out on potentially selling your home. Contrary to popular belief, this is actually the ideal time of year to sell your home.
At The Top
If homeowners in your area take a break during the holiday season because they don’t want to keep their house in “show-ready” condition, this means the house inventory drops. Which means buyers who are looking for a new place to call home will be more likely to see your listing. During the spring season, there are tons of houses and options for buyers to choose from so you have a lot more competition.
Who Doesn’t Love Christmas Decorations?
From the garland to the endless twinkling lights and the cookies baking in the oven, you’ve got built-in ambiance. This will appeal to your buyer’s senses more than any other time of year. That amazing “homey” feel is what sells a home during the holidays since people tend to feel a lot more sentimental during the holidays. However, don’t go overboard. You don’t want to clutter your home by shoving a Santa in every corner. Remember buyers need to imagine their belongings in each room and that is a little hard to do if there is holiday cheer in every square inch.
Holiday Buyers Are Serious
During the busy spring season, you may encounter a few looky-lous who aren’t really serious about buying just yet but want to know what is on the market. However, during the holiday season buyers are serious about getting into a new home as soon as possible. They want to start the year in a new home so if you get a showing request during the holiday season there is a good chance you could sell your house then and there.
Think Of The Children
Speaking of serious buyers, parents are more apt to look for a new home during school breaks. They want to find the right home, have stress-free negotiations, and get everyone settled before the school season starts again.
Faster Transactions
Loans get approved faster during the November and December months since there simply aren’t as many of them. Plus, lenders are looking to close as many deals before the end of the year.
Change Your Tactics
If your home has been sitting on the market for a while you may think it’s best to pull your home off the market and start new during the new year. However, you are better off staying the course and using this slow time to tweak your selling strategy. Would home staging help? Maybe a fresh coat of paint or new landscaping? How about lowering your asking price or new listing pictures?
Generally speaking, the reason a house doesn’t sell is that it isn’t priced correctly. If it has been sitting on the market, nothing will change over a 30-day period if you’re pricing it the same. It’s a better idea to lower the price where it should be and then let it sit over the holiday season.
