7 Reasons Why You Should Consider Selling in the Winter
Reasons Why You Should Sell in the Winter
Are you interested in selling your home and are wondering when the best time to sell is? Well, keep reading to learn more about why you should trade in the winter.
When considering selling your home, there are many things to consider and questions that sellers should ask. Everyone has their own beliefs and factors that they need to consider before doing so. Finding the best time to sell your home may differ for every house owner, but overall, for many reasons, October is the best month to sell a home in the United States.
Fall and winter times do not get the same real estate activity as summer and spring do, so there tends to be more homes available during this time for people searching for homes. Regardless of the seasons, there are many things to do before you sell your home soon.
While there may be many reasons behind selling a home in winter, be aware that the housing market changes regularly and that if you need to sell your home, contact a trustworthy real estate agent to help you with the home-selling process.
Here are the reasons why you should consider selling in the winter.
Chapters
1. Less Competition
During the winter, there tend to be fewer homes available on the market, so there is a lack of inventory to choose from. This is a good thing for sellers but less for buyers. The lower list helps your listings and get more market visibility and opportunities for bidding wars.
Since the spring and summer are more popular home-selling times, the housing market is too crowded, while in the winter, it is not crowded at all, so houses tend to get sold faster because of the supply and demand of housing available.
However, it is essential to know that depending on the location does have an impact on everything. Some places do very well during the winter, and some may do much better during the warmer months, so know your advantages here when listing your home.
So, if you are a seller, the low inventory means less competition, and faster you will find potential buyers, but for buyers, you have limited options, and it can be harder to find a home because of the low inventory.
2. Winter Brings Out Serious Buyers
The winter season offers great skiing opportunities, but is generally a hectic time for many people. So, when buyers are searching for a home during this time, they tend to be more severe since they are breaking away from the holidays to search for a home.
Most of the time, winter buyers usually have a deadline and know what they need or even want due to limited time, so they are more willing to close on a house faster than other seasons because they need a fast move.
One of the most popular months for relocation and more serious buyers tend to be December and January, so if you are selling your house around this time, be aware that these buyers are ready and know what they want.
Serious buyers can be anyone; most of the time, people relocating for a job, but these buyers tend to know what they want and do not want to spend much time looking for that, so the selling process will be much easier than usual because of the urgency and stress these people do not want to encounter.
3. No Need For Landscaping
Preparing high curb appeal and ensuring your home looks ready to buy is essential during the spring and summer. Investing time and money into your landscape is one of the most critical things when selling your home.
In the winter, however, you cannot do much work to your house during this time. If you live somewhere with snow, you shovel and maybe trim some bushes if needed, but it is nothing like the other seasons.
On the plus side, selling during winter home, buyers can also see what the house will look like during winter. Most of the time, people list their homes with blooming flowers and green grass, and the buyers never know what it will look like during the winter.
It seems so little, but it still significantly impacts home selling and home buyers this season. However, remember that this varies depending on where you live. Most of the time, people do not have to do much landscaping during the winter season.
4. Show Big Selling Points
During the winter, you need many more things in your house, such as desirable energy features, mainly because of the colder weather. A winterized home will make a good impression on home buyers and many parts throughout the house.
When people search for homes, they imagine themselves living there and how their lifestyles will fit in the house. In the winter, it is easier for buyers to do this because of all the features that a home can have.
Moving in the winter can be difficult as well as easier. Knowing your big selling points and ensuring your home is ready and up to selling standards significantly impact the selling process. Ensuring your home is prepared to buy is essential to this process and has reeled in many potential buyers.
5. Job Relocations
Companies tend to relocate workers during this period for the new year, so there tend to be more people searching for a new home quickly during the winter. As a plus, many companies give bonuses and credit moving expenses to these employees for the move so that they will also pay higher prices.
If you live close to big corporations or up-and-coming cities, you will see newer faces coming around during the winter months due to these job relocations. Making sure you ask your real estate agent how to make your house ready and target these new people who are relocating is essential.
Relocators tend to have limited time to find a new place, and some do not have the luxury of spending a lot of time on finding the perfect home, so they tend to be more urgent and are ready to sign on the house faster because of the limited time.
More people are relocating during the winter than people perceive, especially to take advantage of low costs if hiring a professional mover, so those are usually the most targeted.
6. Faster Home Sale
It seems like it would not be a faster home sale, but crazy enough, homes sell faster in the winter months, especially in colder locations. There are only a few reasons behind this other than people not wanting to take their time during the winter and being willing to pull the trigger faster.
On the other hand, homes sell faster during the winter because there is less inventory, so many people have limited options. If they need a move, especially job relocations, they tend to buy faster because there is no other competition.
Less inventory means more attention to the available homes so that they will be sold faster. It is wild that certain times can make home selling go by more quickly, but many statistics show it is true.
Looking at it from a seller's point of view, you do not want to spend so much time trying to sell your house; most people tend to like the fastest process, so selling during the winter will help lessen the time for selling your home, especially if you are one of the people that are on a time crunch on moving somewhere new.
7. More Focused/Motivated Agents
Since there are fewer listings during the winter, your real estate agents will devote more time to your house, especially during this time rather than spring and summer. Agents will always be there for you, but listing in the winter would be better if you need more undivided attention.
Having more time for marketing can help sell your home. Since there is such low inventory, agents are searching for those homes available and wanting to sell, so there are more options for the sellers. Finding the best real estate agent that meets your needs is essential.
8. Tips for Selling in the Winter
- Keep things simple. You can have decorations up, but make sure they do not overpower the room. Less is always more.
- Avoid a winter wonderland. Snow can be beautiful, but the buyers want to see the outside of the home. Could you make sure you have pictures of the house with clear weather?
- Make it look cozy. Having a fire lit, holiday music playing, or even fresh baked goods can significantly impact the home.
- Shine a light outside. It tends to get darker in winter, so having light outside helps brighten the home's exterior and lets it stand out more.
- Take down outside decor. People like to decorate outside with blow-up animals and many other holiday things during the holidays, but that takes away from the home. Please keep it simple.
Pros and Cons - Reasons Why You Should Sell in the Winter
Pros:
- Limited inventory
- Less competition
- More motivated buyers
- Less landscaping
- Focused agents
- Faster selling time
- Job relocations lead to more buyers
- Serious buyers
Cons:
- Harer to appeal to buyers
- Showings are harder
- Less bidding
- Busy holidays
- Limited time
FAQS
Is it more challenging to sell a house in the winter?
In the winter, you will face less competition and have fewer sellers on the market.
How do I prepare my house for sale in the winter?
There are many things you should do before selling a home in the winter, such as removing as much snow as possible if you have some, illuminating rooms with as much light since it is darker, making sure it is a comfortable temperature, create a cozy and inviting environment and avoid intense aromas.
Why is it good to sell a house in the winter?
During the winter, you will see fewer homes on the market, which means there is a lack of inventory, which is good news for the seller but not very good for buyers because they have limited options.
Reasons Why You Should Sell in the Winter - The Bottom Line
There is generally less real estate activity in the fall and winter seasons than in spring and summer, which means more homes are available for sale. However, several essential things must be considered regardless of the season before selling your home.
If you plan to sell your home during the winter months, keep in mind that the housing market is constantly changing, and it's always a good idea to seek the help of a reliable real estate agent to guide you through the home-selling process.
Conversely, having less inventory during this time means that the available homes receive more attention and are likely to sell faster. It may seem surprising, but looking at various statistics, this is indeed true.
If you want to move or need help selling, contact us or visit our website. Our team at Raleigh Realty is here to help you with any home buying or selling needs.
Ryan Fitzgerald
Hi there! Nice to 'meet' you and thanks for visiting our Raleigh Real Estate Blog! My name is Ryan Fitzgerald, and I'm a REALTOR® in Raleigh-Durham, NC, the owner of Raleigh Realty. I work alongside some of the best Realtors in Raleigh. You can find more of my real estate content on Forbes, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and more. Realtor Magazine named me a top 30 under 30 Realtor in the country (it was a long time ago haha). Any way, that's enough about me. I'd love to learn more about you if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or connect with our team at Raleigh Realty. Looking forward to connecting!
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