Is winter a bad time to sell your home?
So here we find ourselves in mid-October, which is a time of year here in Minnesota where many prospective sellers start to ask the question: "Is winter a bad time to try and sell a home? Should I wait until spring?" And the answer to that question is "not necessarily".
It's true that from a historical standpoint, the spring months are the busiest in terms of number of transactions that are closed, but that is only one side of the story. As a potential seller, it's important to know that while the spring brings lots of buyers, it is also a time of year that many other sellers try to cash in on the busy time. The market becomes flooded with listings, and suddenly your very nice home that is priced appropriately has a lot more competition to differentiate itself from.
So what about winter? It is true that there are less buyers searching in the cold snowy months, but there are some, and those who are looking are serious about finding a home. The "I'm just browsing" type of buyer won't bother you, which saves you time and energy as a seller. Also, because there is a negative stigma about selling in the winter, much of the competition will be gone, leaving few listings for those serious buyers.
No matter the season, the more important issues that remain are appropriate pricing and condition of home. Keep in mind that in this poor market there are nearly 8 active listings for every buyer, so the majority of listings out there won't sell. If you want to be one of the few who succeed, there are two ways to set your house apart from other homes - either price it below the competition or else make your home more attractive; think about spending some money to update the home, and for goodness sakes use a professional stager!
For a complimentary market analysis and home-selling consultation, feel free to contact Eli Johnson at any time - eli.johnson@results.net