Is it a good time to sell when the kids have returned to school? (photo by Afonso Lima)
The leaves are about to change colors, the kids will soon be sharpening their colored pencils for class and Labor Day is just around the corner.
Which always leads to a question for the potential home seller, is now a good time to sell my home?
The old-school real estate answer would be … it is never a bad time to sell your home.
The new-school real estate answer is … well it depends.
“Okay Toby, we know that you can be wishy-washy but is it a good time to sell or not?”
Let me attempt to explain this…
When children go back to school and weather begins to change the majority buyers with children go into “wait until next year mode”. Are they out of the market? Not totally but they are the person at the pool that’s got their toe in the water to test the temperature but isn’t sure yet if they will enter the market or not. Less buyers, more inventory, advantage buyers. At the same time, a lot of sellers will “take the winter off” the market so their home is fresh for next spring. Less inventory, less buyers, advantage equal.
However, there are always buyers in the market, thanks to relocations or other changes in their life, and a person that is willing to look at a home when it is 20 degrees in Delaware is a “serious” buyer. So if you make the decision to put your house on the market in this weather, be sure to do the following:
- Have amazing photos on the Internet. National Association of REALTORS(r) reports that 80 percent of buyers start on the Internet. As the weather turns cooler, I believe that number has to go closer to 100 percent.
- Curb Appeal Still Matters. Just because we’ve entered the time of Ohio Brown, don’t give up on curb appeal. Do stuff that keep the home looking wonderful.
- Watch the Decorations. Remember you are selling your home as we head into Hallow’s Eve and Christmas, keep the decorations to a tasteful level. What is tasteful? Well, that’s a personal call, but I’d say the bat hanging from the chandelier needs to go.
- Stay In The Market. With fewer listings on the market, your position can change quickly if a few new listings come on the market in your area. Make sure you know where you are priced the entire time you are on the market.
Good luck and we’d love to have the chance to help you sell your home as the weather turns cooler.
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